George Santos, disgraced former Congressman from New York, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His sentencing hearing is set for February and could include six or more years in prison and over a half-million dollars in restitution and forfeiture.
Expression of Regret by Former Congressman
The former Congressman, who served 11 months in Congress, expressed that he was “flooded with deep regret” after telling numerous falsehoods about his life and identity to win his congressional seat.
Potential Sentencing and Restitution
Santos, 36, could be sentenced to at least six years in prison. He would also have to repay as much as $570,000 in restitution and forfeiture to compensate for his lies to voters and donors. Santos also stole the identities of 11 individuals to make campaign donations.
Guilty Plea and Upcoming Sentencing
The guilty plea came weeks before Santos’s case was set for trial. He is free on bond and awaits his sentencing hearing on February 7.
Admission of Guilt and Blame on Ambition
Santos expressed regret and blamed his own ambition for his poor and criminal decisions. Santos said, “I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct.”
Santos’s Fabricated Political Origin Story
Santos’s political origin story is bizarre and original. He fabricated wild claims about his wealth and background. The stories are easily falsifiable.
False Claims About Family History and Background
Santos claimed that his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He also claimed that his grandparents had escaped the holocaust in Europe and called himself Jew-ish rather than Jewish.
Fabrication of Work History
Santos is also reported to have fabricated a work history with top Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He later admitted that he did not graduate from college.
Impact on the Republican Caucus
The loss of Santos from the Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives was significant due to the narrow Republican majority. Santos had won a seat representing part of Queen and Long Island, wrestling it narrowly from Democratic control.
Santos’s Statement After Guilty Plea
Following his guilty plea, Santos spoke to the media, saying his political ambition steered him to “make unethical decisions.”
Acknowledgment of Misconduct
He elaborated, “Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I’d take, but it is necessary because it is the right thing to do. It’s not only a recognition of my misrepresentation to others, but more profoundly, it is my own recognition of the lies I told myself over these past years.”
Prosecutor’s Statement on Santos’s Guilty Plea
Prosecuting Attorney Breon Peace claimed that Santos finally told the truth “after years of telling lies. And that truth is he is a criminal.”
Range of Criminal Actions
Santos’s pleas cover a wide range of criminal actions. He stole from donors, used campaign donations to cover personal expenses, lied to Congress about his income, collected unemployment benefits while working, stole credit card numbers and charged them for campaign donations, used campaign contributions to buy luxury clothes and items from Hermes and Sephora, and charged access to OnlyFans.
Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023 for his exploitative and criminal actions.
Implications of Not Pleading Guilty
If Santos had not pleaded guilty, his case would have gone to trial in September, and prosecutors were prepared to call as many as 40 witnesses.
Santos’s Fear of Prison
Santos has long claimed that he wished to avoid prison, saying in a past interview, “I think everybody should be afraid of going to jail; it’s not a pretty place, and I definitely want to work very hard to avoid that as best as possible.”
