Santos' 'Blatant Corruption' Gets Him 87 Months In Federal Prison: DOJ

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — George Santos, the ex-congressman, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison by Judge Joanna Seybert, the Department of Justice announced.

An 87-month term was also sought by the government for the disgraced former lawmaker in his federal fraud case, which U.S. Attorney John Durham said earlier this month would be "reasonable and appropriate" in this case.

Santos had sought two years in prison, the minimum sentence for the identity theft charge. When he surrenders on July 25, Santos will be "where he belongs, behind bars answering for these crimes," Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly said.

"Santos' blatant corruption is an affront to our electoral process, our representative government and to the people of New York's 3rd Congressional District," said Durham at Friday's news conference. "But today, and finally, Santos has been held accountable for his years of fraud, deceit and theft."

Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the plea, Santos was ordered to pay restitution of $373,749.97 and forfeiture of $205,002.97, the Department of Justice said.

"He admitted to engaging in a brazen crime spree that took place over a period of years," Durham said. "He stole personal identities and financial information of campaign contributors. He lied to receive employment benefits. He lied to the Federal Election Commission about the amount of money his campaign had brought in and he lied to Congress on his financial disclosure forms."

"Santos abused his authority to garner illicit donations and campaign support, ultimately betraying the public's trust and violating our democratic systems," said Christopher Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, NY field office.

The 36-year-old podcaster, who was tossed from Congress amid the criminal investigation in 2023, posted to social media Friday morning, "Soon," alongside a hands clasped emoji.

Santos was initially charged in May 2023, and a superseding indictment charging Santos with additional crimes was returned in October 2023. In the superseding indictment, prosecutors claimed Santos was involved in a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for his congressional campaign.

These falsely reported loans included a $500,000 loan, when in fact Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts, the DOJ stated.

From 2020-2022, prosecutors allege that Santos devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign.

"Santos' victims were real people and they suffered real losses," Durham said. "He went so far to seek out elderly people, who suffered from cognitive impairment and dementia."

Donnelly added: "George Santos was the polar opposite of what a public servant should be. He is without integrity, unconcerned with his constituents and self-interested in everyway."