Former U.S. Representative George Santos entered a guilty plea to federal fraud and identity theft charges, and prosecutors are requesting that he serve more than seven years in prison.
In a court filing on Friday, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York contended that the New York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the nation’s electoral system, thus justifying a hefty sentence.
“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,” the office stated.
Santos had been “unrepentant and defiant” for years, according to the prosecution, who dismissed the case as a “witch hunt” and refused to leave Congress after his web of falsehoods was exposed.
They claimed that his statements of regret following his guilty plea “ring hollow” and implied that, as he has not returned any of his victims or forfeited any of his ill-gotten profits, he has a “high likelihood of reoffending.”
The seven-year plan was declared “absurd and unfounded” by Santos’ attorneys, who also claimed that it was “designed to beat up on a man that already took full responsibility for his actions.”
They refuted the idea that Santos will revert to criminal activity in their own sentencing document on Friday, pointing out that he has no past criminal history and that he also offers his sister and her small daughter “crucial” support.
They argued in favor of the required minimum punishment of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.
According to the attorneys, this type of sentence is comparable to those given to former US Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and other public individuals who have committed comparable financial crimes.
Santos’ cooperation in a different federal investigation into a Texas man who attempted to defraud Santos of over $1 million by pretending to be a political fixer and promising to erase evidence in his cases was also praised.
“This sentence, coupled with the significant collateral consequences Mr. Santos has already suffered—including the loss of his congressional seat and public humiliation — would send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated,” according to the lawyers.
Santos’ punishment will be decided during a hearing on April 25 by a federal judge on Long Island.
The once-rising Republican, who represented sections of Long Island and Queens, was only in office for a year before being removed by his fellow members of the House in 2023, making him the sixth congressman to be expelled in the history of the chamber.
When it was discovered that Santos had made up a large portion of his life biography, it raised concerns about how the political unknown had financed his successful campaign, which ultimately led to his political downfall.
The 36-year-old presented himself as a successful businessman with a substantial real estate holdings, prestigious Wall Street jobs, and top academic degrees. In reality, he was having financial difficulties and was in danger of being evicted.
In August, Santos said that in order to raise money for his congressional campaign, he had mislead voters, lied to donors, and stolen the identities of around a dozen people, including members of his own family.
Originally scheduled to be sentenced in February, a judge gave him a three-month respite to pay court fines totaling more than half a million dollars.
Santos agreed to pay $205,000 in forfeiture and roughly $375,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement.
In order to start repaying the debt, Santos’ attorneys at the time claimed that he needed more time to develop his just launched podcast, Pants on Fire, and that he had no more than $1,000 in liquid assets.
Prosecutors claim Santos made a tidy profit from his notoriety, claiming he has made over $800,000 from a new documentary and appearances on the video-sharing website Cameo since being kicked out of Congress.
In relation to the campaign finance fraud, two of Santos’ campaign staffers have also entered guilty pleas to federal crimes.
His former campaign fundraiser, Sam Miele, received a one-year, one-day sentence in federal prison in March. In order to raise money for Santos’ campaign, he acknowledged charging donors’ credit cards without permission while posing as a senior congressional aide.
Former Santos campaign treasurer Nancy Marks acknowledged filing false campaign finance reports with fictitious donors and a fictitious $500,000 personal loan from Santos.
The campaign was able to reach the fundraising milestones required to receive funding from the national Republican Party thanks to the decorations. In May, Marks is scheduled to be sentenced.
This information has been sourced from NBC News.
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