Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who admitted to lying during his campaign and stealing from his donors, is scheduled to report to federal prison Friday.
A judge sentenced the ex-New York lawmaker to more than seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. The judge also ordered him to pay more than $370,000 in restitution.
Santos, who once represented parts of Queens and Long Island, faced multiple investigations into his conduct. He was formally expelled from Congress in late 2023 after a House ethics committee found “substantial evidence” of misconduct and illegal activity.
Federal prosecutors said Santos filed fraudulent campaign documents, stole the identities and financial information of people who contributed to his campaign, charged credit cards without permission, wrongfully obtained unemployment insurance and lied to the U.S. House of Representatives. They also said he embezzled donations and spent the money on personal expenses, including designer clothing.
“This plea is not just an admission of guilt,” Santos told reporters outside the courthouse after he pleaded guilty last year. “It’s an acknowledgement that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law.”
In the days leading up to his prison term, Santos has repeatedly posted on social media, expressing a mix of sadness, remorse, life advice and defiance. On X, he posted a clip of Frank Sinatra singing “My Way,” a video of a bear walking with its cubs in the woods and multiple condemnations of federal prosecutors.
Donald Murphy, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, declined to share which facility Santos will go to until after he arrives, citing safety concerns. He said the Bureau of Prisons makes assignments based on various factors, including the level of supervision the person needs and any necessary security measures to ensure the person’s protection.
Earlier this year, Santos told British media personality Piers Morgan that he was in the process of filling out a clemency application to seek a pardon or sentence commutation from President Donald Trump.
“I think no one better than President Trump to know what a weaponized Justice Department looks like, and this is exactly it,” he said. “Seven years and three months for a first-time offender over campaign matters just screams over the top.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
