Disgraced ex-Congressman George Santos receives a 7-year federal prison sentence for defrauding donors and misusing campaign funds. New York judge cites his lack of remorse and pursuit of fame, ordering him to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution.
A federal judge in New York handed down a stiff prison sentence to former Republican Congressman George Santos on Friday, sentencing him to 87 months in prison for a broad fraud scheme that included theft from donors, identity fraud, and misuse of campaign funds.
He has been ordered to surrender by July 25, according to NBC News.
Judge Joanna Seybert, presiding in the US District Court, was direct in her condemnation. “Where is the remorse?” she asked Santos before delivering the sentence, which also includes nearly $374,000 in restitution.
Despite Santos’s emotional courtroom appeal in which he admitted to having “betrayed the confidence” of those who elected him, Judge Seybert remained unmoved. “I don’t like putting people in jail,” she said, “but you are fully deserving.”
Federal prosecutors had pressed for the full 87-month term, citing the breadth and audacity of Santos’s misconduct. “From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,” they wrote in a sentencing memo.
Although Santos pleaded guilty to two felony counts last year and made public displays of contrition, the government insisted that his behavior reflected no genuine remorse.
Santos’s legal team had requested a reduced sentence of two years, characterizing his actions as politically motivated missteps rather than malicious intent.
Santos, who flipped a Democratic seat on Long Island during the 2022 midterms and helped bolster a slim GOP majority, quickly came under scrutiny for fabrications in his résumé and personal history. The New York Times uncovered numerous inconsistencies, including false claims about his education, work history, and heritage. Among the most widely criticized was his assertion of being Jewish—a claim he later amended to say he was “Jew-ish.”
The deceptions eventually unraveled into a criminal investigation. In 2023, Santos was indicted on a host of charges ranging from identity theft to wire fraud, with prosecutors alleging he used donors’ credit cards—some belonging to cognitively impaired seniors—to make unauthorized contributions to his own campaign.
In addition, a blistering House Ethics Committee report accused Santos of misusing campaign funds for personal indulgences, including luxury shopping, travel to vacation destinations, and even adult content subscriptions. The findings culminated in his expulsion from Congress in December 2023.
In a media appearance shortly before sentencing, Santos hinted at seeking clemency from President Donald Trump.
When asked on his podcast if he’d request a pardon, he replied, “You bet your sweet a– I would.” While he hasn’t made direct contact, he later told NY1, “If he feels like I’m worthy of a commutation or of clemency or whatever the case is, he can make that decision.”
