Ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud and identity theft

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he learned his punishment for the crimes that led to his expulsion from Congress.

Santos, who pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, appealed for mercy. In a federal court a short drive from his old congressional district, he said through tears that he was “humbled” and “chastised” and realized he had betrayed his constituents’ trust.

“I offer my deepest apologies,” he said, adding: “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”

U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert evidently wasn’t convinced.

“Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” she asked as she sentenced him to 87 months behind bars. “It’s always someone else’s fault.”

The New York Republican served in Congress barely a year before becoming just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues.

He admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his family members, to fund his winning campaign. His plea deal included agreeing to pay roughly $580,000 in penalties.

“From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit,” U.S. Attorney John Durham, whose office prosecuted the case, said outside court.

Santos, 36, is due to report to prison July 25. He didn’t respond to reporters’ shouted questions outside the courthouse, but he had told The Associated Press by text Thursday that he was “ready to face the music.”

Santos’ victims included a woman with brain damage and two octogenarian men, prosecutor Ryan Harris told the judge.

Speaking in court, New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon argued that the victims of Santos’ crimes even included jobless and struggling New Yorkers.

Before winning office, Santos collected unemployment benefits while actually working for a Florida company. Once in Congress, he cosponsored legislation intended to root out unemployment fraud.

For Santos, Reardon said, it was “do as he says, not as he does.”

Defense lawyer Andrew Mancilla, arguing for a two-year prison stint, said “everyone hates George Santos” even though “deep down, he is warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful.”

He said Santos created an “alternate ego” for himself after growing up in a “broken house” and dealing with bullying.

“He built the man he wanted to be,” Mancilla said. “He did that because he believed that the world would not accept him for who he was.”

Santos’ reputation, he added, has been destroyed, leaving him “no chance” of securing a job, though he conceded Santos has a documentary in development.

“No one is coming near him,” Mancilla said. “He’s forever stained.”

Seybert at points rejected defense lawyers’ arguments that Santos was not the ringleader of the fraud.

She also rejected their arguments that sentences handed down in previous campaign fraud cases, including that of former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., were fair comparisons.

“I’m not here to decide political issues,” Seybert said. “I’m here to decide a just sentence.”

Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP.

Soon after, it was revealed that the political unknown had fabricated much of his life story, painting himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio.

In reality, Santos was struggling financially and even faced eviction. The revelations led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how he had funded his campaign.

“He told lie after lie until it caught up with him — until we caught up with him and exposed him for what he truly was: an opportunist and a fraud,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, said outside court Friday. Her office also investigated Santos.

As his sentencing approached, Santos was reflective in social media posts, thanking his supporters and detractors alike.

“I learned that no matter left, right or, center we are all humans and for the most part Americans (LOL) and we have one super power that I cherish and that is compassion,” he wrote Thursday on the social platform X. Addressing “the trolls,” he added: “y’all made me much stronger and made my skin thicker!”

He also made one final plug for his Cameo account, where he records personalized video messages for $100.

“Think ahead and of any celebration or event coming up later this year. Book them today,” Santos wrote, ending the post with a series of heart emojis.

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this story.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press