George Santos, the former Republican congressman expelled in disgrace, says he’s bracing for a harsh reality: 87 months in prison.
Speaking to The New York Times on Wednesday, Santos sounded fully resigned. “Right now, my expectation is I’m going to prison for 87 months,” he said. “I’m totally resigned.” He added, with the kind of lonely self-pity that’s defined much of his fall, “I came to this world alone. I will deal with it alone, and I will go out alone.”
Mr. Santos pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted to an array of other frauds and deceits. He acknowledged that he lied to Congress, fraudulently collected unemployment and swindled campaign donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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As part of his plea, Mr. Santos admitted responsibility in court and vowed to make restitution in the amount of $373,749.97. He appeared outside the courtroom afterward, telling reporters that he took full responsibility for his actions, which were “unethical and guilty.”
But in the intervening months, Mr. Santos has struggled to maintain that penitent posture. Under pressure to repay victims and fund his defense, he has sought to monetize his infamy, beginning with personalized videos on the website Cameo. (Earlier this week, those were on sale for 67 percent off, under a banner that read “Last week on Cameo.”)
In December, he debuted his podcast, “Pants on Fire,” its title a winking allusion to Mr. Santos’s lies about his education, work history and volleyball career. He wore a pair of sparkly Ferragamo sneakers to a podcast launch party and jokingly compared the modest media scrum to the frenzied coverage of Princess Diana’s visits to New York.
In a separate Thursday interview on One America News with former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Santos said he’s still hoping the judge at Friday’s sentencing hearing stays neutral. “I hope the judge is fair, balanced, and even,” he said. “Unlike the prosecutors who are trying to drop an anchor on my head.”
While Santos admits he screwed up, he argues the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. “I feel like seven years… you don’t see some pretty bad people get that long,” he said.
From Capitol Hill to Solitary
Once a headline magnet for all the wrong reasons, Santos said he plans to serve his sentence in solitary confinement. Why? He fears for his safety.
“My plan is to serve the entirety of any sentence in solitary confinement,” he told Gaetz.
His legal team is pushing for a much lighter two-year sentence — the mandatory minimum for aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors, on the other hand, want the maximum, pointing to the scope and brazenness of his fraud.
As for a potential pardon? Santos hasn’t officially asked President Trump for one but wouldn’t turn it down.
“I haven’t petitioned the president for a pardon,” Santos revealed. “But if he were to extend one, I’d be humbly grateful.”
He added, “Hope’s the last to die.”
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This guy brazenly conducted his criminal acts and deserves what he gets. Now let’s move on to the rest of them who have committed similar acts and clean house.