A federal judge in Central Islip sentenced the ex-congressman Friday to the maximum sentence of 87 months in prison over multiple wire fraud and identity theft charges in connection with his 2022 run for Congress.
He’s also been ordered to pay over half a million dollars in restitution and forfeitures.
John Durham, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, rattled off a list of Santos’ crimes at a press conference after the sentencing, including scams to get unemployment benefits and federal campaign matching funds.
“He’s going to be punished for his staggering fraud, the abuses he put on our electoral process, for mocking our democratic institutions, and most importantly for betraying and defrauding his supporters, his voters, his donors, federal agencies, and state agencies,” Durham said.
Santos represented New York’s third congressional district, spanning parts of Queens and Long Island, from January 2023 through December 2023. Congress expelled him for ethical violations, including spending campaign funds for personal use like Botox and lavish clothes.
He’s only the sixth U.S. House member to be expelled in the nation’s history. He’s since become a podcaster.
“George Santos was the polar opposite of what a public servant should be,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “He is without integrity, unconcerned with his constituents, and self-interested in every way.”
Santos is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on July 25.
It’s unclear if he will seek a pardon from President Donald Trump.
