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Former New York GOP Rep. George Santos faces up to 87 months in prison ahead of his sentence in federal court on Friday, in connection with his wire fraud and identity theft case.
The 36-year-old former representative served in Congress for nearly a year before being expelled in 2023 by a colleague of his family. Santos had not yet been convicted of a crime at that time, but was charged with 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, forgery of records, credit card fraud and other charges.
Santos pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft in August as part of a plea deal. He admitted to stealing the identities of almost 12 individuals in order to deceive donors and fund his campaign. He further agreed to pay nearly $600,000 in penalties.
Former lawmaker George Santos faces seven years’ prison sentence for federal fraud, identity theft
Former New York GOP Rep. George Santos faces up to 87 months in prison ahead of his sentence in federal court on Friday, in connection with his wire fraud and identity theft case. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Federal prosecutors are seeking 87 months of custody, according to court filings. Santos’ legal team previously asked the court for a two-year sentence in a court that it filed earlier this month.
“I’m doing the same thing humans do, taking into account the circumstances,” Santos told The Associated Press on Thursday ahead of his sentence. “I’m ready to face music tomorrow.”
The government submitted a list of recent social media posts on April 17, which was filed prior to his ruling, with prosecutors claiming that “Santos’ recent actions continue to show that he does not repent for his crimes.”
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The post pulled from his X account included a tweet saying, “No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they’re angry because they never break my mind.”
The 36-year-old former representative served in Congress for nearly a year before being expelled in 2023 by a colleague of his family. Santos had not yet been convicted of the crime at that time. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.
Santos responded to the filing of a letter with the court on April 21, writing that he pleaded guilty “I am deeply sorry for the criminal conduct,” demanding the Justice Department’s 87-month sentence, and that my efforts to weaponize my speech were inconsistent, and that I have both constitutional duties and protests.
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“The true regret is not mute. It recognizes itself and says that the penalty scale jumps into the absurd,” Santos writes. “This distinction appears to have been lost in the prosecution. He slaps me with a “keep quiet” sticker and pushes steam to any spirit I have left behind. ”
During his campaign, Santos made some false claims about his background. He attended New York University, where he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and his grandparents fled the Nazis during World War II. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Santos was elected to Congress in 2022 after turning over a district covering Queens and parts of Long Island for the GOP. During his campaign he made several false claims about his career, including attending New York University, working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and his grandparents fled the Nazis during World War II.
Santos tried to resume his political career last year by becoming independent in a nearby district to re-enter the home.
Michael Dorgan and Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News Digital, the Associated Press, contributed to this report.
Haley Chi-Sing is a political writer for Fox News Digital. You can contact her at X at @haleychising.
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