Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) potentially faces more than seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges.

“Santos planned and executed an assortment of fraudulent schemes and leveraged them and a fictious life story to enrich himself and capture one of the highest offices in the government of the United States,” Justice Department attorneys wrote, according to The Hill.

The former Republican legislator became the sixth House member to be expelled from the chamber after pleading guilty.

Fox News reports:

The former lawmaker stole from political donors, used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses, lied to Congress about his wealth and collected unemployment benefits while actually working.

“No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit,” Santos posted on X Friday in the wake of a court filing by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

ADVERTISEMENT

Santos has already agreed to serve a minimum of two years in prison and was expected to be sentenced in February but asked the court to postpone sentencing until he can make enough money from his podcast to pay the nearly $600,000 he owes in restitution and forfeiture.

Prosecutors alleged he had raked in around $800,000 from appearances on the Cameo app, with previous reports suggesting he was charging $350 a pop for videos featuring his drag alter ego Kitara Ravache. Santos previously denied ever dressing as a drag queen or associating with drag queens.

Prosecutors argued in the filing Friday that Santos warrants a significant sentence because his “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the country’s election system.

From The Hill:

In response, Santos’s legal team recommended he receive 24 months imprisonment, the minimum sentence for his crimes.

The attorney’s justified their request on Friday, citing Santos’s “personal history, his cooperation in a separate federal investigation, the non-violent nature of his offenses, his lack of any criminal history, the need to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities—support a variance.”

The legislator was ousted from his post in 2023, the same year he pleaded guilty to overarching crimes. He was ordered to pay $205,000 in forfeiture, in addition to $375,000 in restitution but still hasn’t submitted payments for either fine.

“Against that backdrop, moreover, Santos’s post-plea claims of remorse ring hollow. As of this writing, despite years of actively courting media attention and capitalizing on his infamy, Santos has forfeited nothing of his ill-gotten gains and has not repaid one cent to any of the victims of his financial crimes,” prosecutors wrote.

“The Court can and should find that this fact “demonstrate[s] a strong risk of recidivism and a lack of remorse for his conduct.”

A judge is expected to make a ruling regarding Santos’s sentencing on April 25.

ADVERTISEMENT
 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.