Infamous serial liar George Santos — the disgraced former congressman who scammed donors to fund his profitable marketing campaign — broke down into sobs as he realized his destiny Friday in his sprawling federal corruption case.
The wayward, openly-gay ex-Lengthy Island pol, who was uncovered for fibbing about a lot of his life story, was sentenced to seven years and three months behind bars by Central Islip federal courtroom Decide Joanna Seybert.
“Everybody hates George Santos,” his protection lawyer, Robert Fantone Jr., mentioned as he requested Seybert for leniency. “Everybody’s acquired flaws however he’s acquired greater than the remainder of us.”
Fantone mentioned his shopper had already taken such a success to his popularity that he’d be paying for his entire life.
Santos, who should additionally fork over $373,000 in restitution as a part of the sentence, wept as he promised the decide that he’d realized his lesson and would reside a greater life.
“I betrayed the boldness instilled in me by my constituents,” he mentioned.
However the decide didn’t purchase it — and scolded Santos earlier than slapping him with the hefty sentence.
“The place is the regret?” Seybert mentioned. “I’ve searched in useless … however I can’t discover a motive to be lenient.”
Santos, 36, pleaded responsible to federal wire fraud and aggravated identification theft in August, admitting he defrauded donors and used the names of dozens of individuals, together with household and mates, to falsely inflate his variety of contributors.
He served lower than a 12 months within the Home — repping components of Queens and Nassau County in a seat he flipped crimson — till he turned solely the sixth US Consultant to be expelled from workplace in December 2023.
Santos — who now hawks personalised video messages for $100 a pop on the Cameo app — didn’t communicate to reporters on his approach out and in of courtroom Friday, however had posted “Quickly” together with prayer hand emojis on X hours earlier than his sentencing.
Prosecutors requested that the flamboyant Ferragamo-wearing former rep get seven years behind bars, the highest finish of what federal sentencing tips beneficial. He confronted a minimal of two and a most of 20 years in jail.
It’s not but clear the place Santos, who should give up on July 25, will serve out his jail time period, however he requested a lockup within the northeast.
The feds argued in current courtroom filings that Santos’ social media posts confirmed he was “not genuinely remorseful.”
These missives included a barrage of assaults towards the Division of Justice that Santos not too long ago posted on X, together with one claiming he was a “scapegoat.”
However Santos’ legal professionals fired again, explaining the lyin’ ex-congressman was attacking what he thought was an unnecessarily harsh sentencing advice and maintained he nonetheless remained “profoundly sorry” for what he did.
Exterior courtroom after the sentencing, US Lawyer for the Japanese District of New York John Durham blasted Santos’ actions and lauded Seybert’s choice to condemn him to 87 months — the identical period of time Durham’s workplace had sought.
“Santos’ disgraceful and grasping conduct has been uncovered, and ultimately, has been introduced justice,” Durham mentioned, including the ex-pol’s “blatant corruption is an affront to our electoral course of.”
Richard Osthoff, a navy veteran who claimed Santos stole 1000’s of {dollars} from a web based fundraiser for his sick canine, attended the listening to and mentioned he thought the fibbing former rep’s water works had been merely “crocodile tears.”
“That wasn’t actual. He’s not remorseful. He’s crying as a result of he is aware of that he’s getting bitten on the ass and he’s gotta go away now,” Osthoff mentioned. “Have enjoyable, George.”
Santos was elected in 2022, however it rapidly emerged that he had repeatedly lied about the whole lot from his work credentials to his academic background whereas he was on the marketing campaign path.
He claimed he graduated from New York College and Baruch Faculty and that he labored at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. In actuality he didn’t graduate from faculty and he by no means “immediately” labored for the businesses.
In Might 2023, the feds hit him with a 23-count indictment accusing him of laundering marketing campaign funds and defrauding donors from October 2021 to October 2022.
Prosecutors alleged he lied to Congress about his wealth, collected unemployment advantages whereas he was really working and used marketing campaign funds to reside giant — together with shopping for designer duds, getting Botox injections and taking luxe holidays.
Santos’ former marketing campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, was additionally charged within the case. She pleaded responsible to at least one fraud conspiracy cost and is slated to be sentenced subsequent month at a listening to the place the feds have mentioned they’ll suggest she obtain three-and-a-half years to 4 years imprisonment.
On Tuesday, Santos mentioned in an interview with NY1 that he hopes he’s stored in protecting custody whereas within the clink “as a result of I do concern for my security.”
He additionally informed the outlet he didn’t have the cash to pay the restitution he agreed to fork over as a part of his plea settlement with the feds.
The decide on Friday denied Santos’ request to be positioned in protecting custody, saying she didn’t hear something that confirmed he wanted it.
