CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in federal prison, bringing a stunning end to one of the most scandal-ridden tenures in modern congressional history. The New York Republican, who was expelled from Congress in disgrace, sobbed in court as he was sentenced to 87 months for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Santos, 36, pled guilty last summer after admitting to a series of elaborate schemes to defraud donors, steal identities—including those of his own family members—and use campaign funds for personal enrichment. In a tearful statement delivered in court near his former district on Long Island, Santos said he was “humbled” by the process and acknowledged betraying the public trust. “I cannot rewrite the past,” he said. “But I can control the road ahead.”
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert, however, remained unconvinced. “Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” Seybert asked, rejecting a plea for leniency and pointing to a pattern of deflection. “It’s always someone else’s fault.”
Santos is expected to report to prison on July 25. He declined to speak with reporters following the hearing, though he had earlier told The Associated Press he was “ready to face the music.”
The sentence concludes a political downfall that began soon after his 2022 election, when reports surfaced that Santos had fabricated large portions of his resume and personal background. Though he successfully flipped a well-off congressional district encompassing parts of Queens and Long Island, scrutiny followed almost immediately. Journalists and investigators uncovered false claims ranging from his professional experience on Wall Street to his education and ethnicity.
While campaigning, Santos portrayed himself as a seasoned businessman with Jewish heritage and an impressive real estate portfolio. In reality, he had not attended the schools he listed, did not hold the jobs he claimed, and had misled the public about his family background. He admitted to calling himself “Jew-ish” based on distant ancestry, despite being Catholic.
The revelations snowballed into legal and congressional investigations. Prosecutors said Santos used stolen identities—including those of a woman with brain damage and two elderly men—to make fraudulent campaign contributions. U.S. Attorney John Durham said outside court that Santos had used his candidacy “for his own enrichment and financial benefit” from the very beginning.
Santos was also found to have collected unemployment benefits in New York while working for a Florida company. After entering Congress, he co-sponsored legislation to fight unemployment fraud.
In court, prosecutor Ryan Harris described Santos’ actions as cold and calculated, highlighting the vulnerability of his victims. His defense attorney, Andrew Mancilla, pleaded for a lighter sentence of two years, portraying Santos as a man shaped by childhood trauma and lifelong rejection. “He built the man he wanted to be, not who he was,” Mancilla said, calling his client misunderstood and hated by the public. “Deep down, he is warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful.”
Judge Seybert disagreed, emphasizing that Santos had shown little accountability despite his guilty plea. The court also ordered Santos to pay nearly $580,000 in restitution and penalties.
Outside the courthouse, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a fellow Republican, condemned Santos for deceiving voters and law enforcement alike. “He told lie after lie until it caught up with him,” she said. “Until we caught up with him and exposed him for what he truly was: an opportunist and a fraud.”
Despite the legal consequences, Santos had embraced his notoriety in recent months. He launched a podcast, “Pants on Fire with George Santos,” and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars on the video platform Cameo by selling customized messages. Even as sentencing loomed, he promoted his Cameo account, urging followers to “think ahead” for celebrations and sign-offs with heart emojis.
While Santos continued to voice admiration for President Donald Trump and the current administration, he said he had no intention of requesting clemency.
His sentencing closes the chapter on a political career defined by deception, ending with a federal prison term and a legacy as one of the most infamous figures ever to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
