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 stepped in dog scam and other piles of lies

George Santos, if that's his real name

Serial liar New York Rep. George Santos (R) stepped down from his committee assignments as an attempt to assuage the public's questioning his legitimacy as a congressman, but things may get a lot worse for him.

The Department of Justice [DoJ] just took over the investigation into the embattled bozo's campaign finance activity recently and it looks as if they will have plenty of damning material to work with. 

First of all, a new report from Mother Jones provides the results of an investigation into myriad campaign contributions that Santos claimed to receive from some of his relatives who live in Queens, New York, totaling more than $45,000. 

Some of Santos' donors are figments of his imagination [aka creation]. They don't exist, but his relatives do, and while they seem to be incredibly generous, one of them who was visited by the media was "dumbfounded" by the notion that they had been a maximum-level donor to Santos' campaign. The family member insisted that they had not given Santos' campaign a single penny, and this is a serious problem for him.

The veracity-impoverished congressman's campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), stated that he pulled in over $45,000 from his Queens relatives. Included in the mix, a mail handler was listed to have given over $4,000, a painter donated the maximum of $5,800, a student also gave $5,800. One of his relatives said they did not make any donation but was listed as having given $5,800.

And while Mother Jones is an obvious left-wing paper, they deserve credit for this kind of reporting. Of course, if Santos had been a Democrat, who knows what, if any, reporting would have taken place.

Santos’ sister is listed as having donated more than $5,000 to his campaign, but when Mother Jones contacted her, she would neither confirm nor deny that she or anyone else in the family had contributed to his campaign. Interestingly, this sister was recently facing possible eviction from her home over failure to pay her rent, and making a donation she was alleged to have made, seems kind of Santos-ish.

Lying about campaign contributions is a criminal offense and could actually get Santos prison time, which would obviously force him out of Congress. If the allegations are proven true, that shows how incompetent a criminal he is.

According to an NBC poll this week, 78% of Santos’ voters want him to resign. “And yet he persists.”

In another unrelated Santos story of an accusation leveled at him by Richard Osthoff, a Navy veteran, in which Santos was alleged to have stolen $3,000 from a GoFundMe account set up to pay for cancer surgery for his service dog, and then the account disappeared. It was supposedly administered by Santos' "Friends of Pets United," a fake charity that did not exist.

The FBI has spoken to Osthoff who claims the lying Long Island Rep. George Santos conned him out of thousands of dollars meant to go toward saving his dying service dog, according to a report.

So time will tell whether this scumbag remains in office. Anyone who would screw a pet owner out of life saving surgery and steal his money, needs to get what he deserves.

I suspect he will be getting a not so friendly knocking on his office door.

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