Ex-Rep. George Santos sobs after sentencing handed out in corruption case

Sometimes actions have consequences for politicians

Notorious serial liar George Santos — the disgraced former congressman who scammed donors to fuel his winning campaign — broke down into sobs Friday as he learned his fate in a sprawling federal corruption case. The wayward, openly gay ex-Long Island pol, exposed for fibbing about much of his life story, was sentenced to seven years and three months behind bars by Central Islip federal court Judge Joanna Seybert.

“Everyone hates George Santos,” his defense attorney, Robert Fantone Jr., pleaded for leniency. “Everyone’s got flaws, but he’s got more than the rest of us.” Fantone argued Santos’ reputation was already so trashed he’d pay for it his whole life.

Santos, ordered to cough up $373,000 in restitution, wept as he told the judge he’d learned his lesson. “I betrayed the confidence instilled in me by my constituents,” he said. But Seybert wasn’t buying it. “Where is the remorse?” she snapped. “I have searched in vain … but I can’t find a reason to be lenient.”

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty in August to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting he defrauded donors and used the names of dozens — including family and friends — to falsely inflate his contributor count. Santos, who served less than a year in the House repping parts of Queens and Nassau County until his historic expulsion in December 2023, now hawks $100 personalized videos on Cameo. He posted “Soon” with prayer hand emojis on X hours before sentencing but dodged reporters at court.
Prosecutors pushed for the max seven years, citing Santos’ lack of genuine remorse, including X posts calling himself a “scapegoat” and blasting the Department of Justice. His lawyers countered he was “profoundly sorry,” claiming he was just upset over the harsh sentencing recommendation.

US Attorney John Durham didn’t hold back outside court, blasting Santos’ “disgraceful and greedy conduct.” “Santos’ blatant corruption is an affront to our electoral process,” Durham said, praising Seybert’s 87-month sentence.

Navy veteran Richard Osthoff, who accused Santos of stealing thousands from a fundraiser for his sick dog, called the ex-rep’s tears “crocodile tears.” “That wasn’t real. He’s not remorseful,” Osthoff sneered. “Have fun, George.”

Santos’ lies unraveled after his 2022 election, with fabrications about graduating from NYU and Baruch College and working at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs — none of it true. A 23-count indictment in May 2023 accused him of laundering campaign funds, lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment while employed, and splurging on designer clothes, Botox, and luxe vacations. His former treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy and faces sentencing next month, with prosecutors eyeing three-and-a-half to four years for her.

Santos, who must surrender July 25, requested a northeast prison but was denied protective custody by Seybert, who saw no evidence he needed it. In a Tuesday NY1 interview, he admitted he can’t afford the restitution and fears for his safety in prison. Tough luck, George — the Ferragamo-wearing fibber’s finally facing the music.

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George Santos charged with stealing donor IDs and racking up credit card charges

When his lips move, be careful

It's a shame that Rep. George "Fish-lips" Santos (R-NY) is a Republican. Due to the way the media reports on political issues, you can imagine how gleeful they are that this liar is not a Democrat--they have enough of their own.

The Long Island liar has been handed another batch of allegations last Tuesday, including that he stole the identities of campaign donors and racked up thousands upon thousands of dollars on their credit cards without authorization. Like many politicians on the Hill, it appears that Santos belongs in the slammer.

Santos now has ten additional counts not including accusations of embezzling money from his campaign and lying to Congress [although it seems like everybody does that].

“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement Tuesday.

“Santos falsely inflated the campaign’s reported receipts with non-existent loans and contributions that were either fabricated or stolen.”

Holy crap, Batman! This is serious.

Santos, 35, is alleged to have covertly used donors' credit cards and charged more than  $44,000 to his campaign over a period of months, the superseding indictment states.

In one instance, he charged $12,000 — the “vast majority” of which was funneled into his personal account.

George Santos has maintained his innocence because he doesn't think he'll do well in prison.

George Santos in drag

The new indictment brings the total counts Santos faces to 23, and comes after his former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty last week to a fraud conspiracy charge for allegedly colluding with the congressman to cook the books, as reported by The New York Post.

Prosecutors also allege that Santos and Marks conspired to ensure that he qualified for a national party committee program that offered logistical support and financial resources to campaigns that raised at least $250,000 from donors in one quarter.

As part of the scheme, the not so dynamic duo allegedly falsely indicated in finance reports that at least 10 Santos family members had made considerable donations to the campaign, despite knowing they didn’t, according to prosecutors. 

Then they went on to allegedly claim that Santos loaned his campaign around $500,000 – despite him having less than $8,000 in his personal and business accounts, prosecutors claimed.

Remember, Marks, his former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty in federal court two weeks ago.

Santos, not very chivalrously, had previously tried to pin the blame for irregularities in his finances on Marks, claiming she “went rogue.” But it was pointed out by observers that when Santos made that claim, his lips were moving. He's so bad that he only makes headlines when he tells the truth and the public is still waiting.

Marks was a close confidant of Santos during his two bids for Congress and he was quick to throw her under the bus, if I may coin a new phrase.

So the new charges against Santos include one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud and two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC.

These latest counts are on top of the 13 counts he was slapped with earlier this year featuring seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.Santos now faces a total of 23 counts.

Santos previously pleaded not guilty to the original 13 counts.

He is next slated to appear in Long Island federal court on Oct. 27. In spite of all this, Santos is plowing ahead for his reelection in 2024.

On Tuesday, his predecessor former Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) announced that he was filing paperwork to vie for Santos’ seat, which kind of seems like a dickhead move since he lost his bid to the liar. 

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