CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — George Santos, the former New York congressman whose whirlwind of lies and schemes unraveled faster than a cheap suit, got hit with a 87-month prison sentence on April 25 for fraud and identity theft. The disgraced ex-lawmaker, once a rising Republican star, stood sobbing in a federal courtroom as Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the punishment, capping a saga that saw him booted from Congress in less than a year.
Santos, 36, pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting he swindled donors and stole identities to fuel his 2022 campaign. He didn’t just bend the truth—he obliterated it, spinning tales of a Wall Street career, a college degree, and even a family tragedy tied to 9/11, none of which held up. His campaign became a personal piggy bank, prosecutors said, with stolen funds covering everything from luxury goods to shady wire transfers. He even pocketed unemployment benefits while secretly working, then had the gall to co-sponsor a bill cracking down on unemployment fraud once he was in Congress.
In court, Santos begged for mercy, his voice cracking as he faced the consequences of deceiving nearly a dozen people, including family members, whose identities he hijacked. The judge wasn’t buying the remorse act. Seybert pointed to his lack of accountability, noting how Santos kept dodging blame, even as evidence piled up like unpaid bills. Prosecutors laid it bare: from the moment he declared his candidacy, he was in it for himself, siphoning off roughly $580,000 in penalties he now owes as part of his plea deal.
The hearing wasn’t without its absurdities. Days before sentencing, Santos was still hawking personalized videos on Cameo, urging fans to “book now” for future celebrations, complete with heart emojis. It was vintage Santos—always working an angle, even as the walls closed in. His lawyers pushed for a two-year sentence, painting him as a misunderstood guy with a warm heart, but the court saw through the spin. The 87-month term, just over seven years, sends him to prison starting July 25.
Santos’ fall was as swift as it was spectacular. Elected in 2022, he barely warmed his seat in the House before colleagues, fed up with the mounting scandals, voted him out in December 2023—only the sixth member ever expelled from Congress. His guilty plea came after months of defiance, with Santos initially claiming he was the victim of a political witch hunt. But the evidence was ironclad: fake donor lists, stolen credit card numbers, and a trail of lies that left his campaign in tatters.
He’ll serve his time in a federal facility, with no parole in sight under the sentencing guidelines. The man who once charmed voters with a fabricated rags-to-riches story now faces years behind bars, his political career a smoldering wreck.