OAN Staff Sophia Flores and Brooke Mallory
9:38 AM – Friday, April 25, 2025
Former New York GOP Representative George Santos has been sentenced to over seven years behind bars. Those years in prison will be followed by two years of supervised release.
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On Friday, a federal court sentenced the 36-year-old former politician to a hefty prison sentence in connection to his 23-counts of wire fraud and identity theft cases. He has also been charged with falsification of records and credit card fraud.
In a request for mercy, Santos, who entered a guilty plea last summer, sobbed as he told a judge that he was “humbled” and had been “chastised,” while admitting that he abused the trust of his voters.
“I offer my deepest apologies,” Santos said, adding: “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”
However, Judge Joanna Seybert of the U.S. District Court was not persuaded by his statements.
“Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” she asked, while sentencing him to 87 months. She also later claimed that Santos appeared to act like it was “it’s always someone else’s fault.”
As part of a plea deal back in August, Santos pleaded guilty to the charges. He admitted to stealing the identities of nearly a dozen individuals, including his own family, and deceiving donors to fund his Congressional campaign.
Santos has also agreed to pay approximately $580,000 in penalties as part of a plea agreement.
The 36-year-old told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had accepted his fate, but he did not answer questions from the slew of boisterous reporters as he entered a Long Island courthouse.
“I’m doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances,” Santos wrote in a text message, reiterating that he was “ready to face the music.”
Given his recent social media statements, where Santos suggested that he, himself, felt like a victim of prosecutorial overreach — prosecutors continued to question Santos’ remorse and eventually requested the 87-month sentence.
“People think of this as a victimless crime because it’s about money. There are many victims in this crime,” said New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon.
When Santos was elected in 2022, he helped the GOP win a rich district that included portions of Long Island and Queens.
Prior to the sentencing, he had expressed gratitude to his friends, past colleagues, and even his critics in thoughtful social media statements.
“I learned that no matter left, right or, center we are all humans and for the most part Americans (LOL) and we have one super power that I cherish and that is compassion,” he wrote on Thursday on the social platform X. “To the trolls… well you guys are an impactful part of how people shape themselves, and y’all made me much stronger and made my skin thicker!”
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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