Prosecutors seek 7 years in prison for disgraced ex-US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the country’s election system.

“From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives," the office wrote.

Prosecutors also argued that Santos had been “unrepentant and defiant” for years, dismissing the prosecution as a “witch hunt” and refusing to resign from Congress as his web of lies was debunked.

They said his claims of remorse after pleading guilty “ring hollow" and suggested he has a “high likelihood of reoffending" given he has not forfeited any of his ill-gotten gains or repaid any of his victims.

Santos’ lawyers, in an email to The Associated Press, dismissed the seven-year proposal as “absurd and unfounded,” saying it appears “designed to beat up on a man that already took full responsibility for his actions.”

In their own sentencing memo Friday, they rejected the notion that Santos will fall back into criminal behavior, noting he has no prior criminal record and also provides “crucial” support to his sister and her young daughter.

They argued for a two-year prison term, which is the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.

The lawyers maintain such a sentence is in line with those handed to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other political figures facing similar financial crimes.

They also touted Santos' cooperation in a separate federal investigation into a Texas man who tried to dupe Santos out of nearly $1 million by posing as a political fixer offering to destroy evidence in his cases.

“This sentence, coupled with the significant collateral consequences Mr. Santos has already suffered—including the loss of his congressional seat and public humiliation — would send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated,” the lawyers wrote.

A federal judge on Long Island is scheduled to decide Santos’ sentence during a court hearing April 25.

The once-rising Republican, who represented parts of Queens and Long Island, served barely a year in office before he was ousted by his House colleagues in 2023, just the sixth congressperson ever expelled in the chamber’s history.

Santos’ political demise came after it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story, leading to questions about how the political unknown had funded his winning campaign.

The now-36-year-old cast himself as a wealthy businessman who had graduated from top colleges, worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio. In truth, he was struggling financially and faced eviction.

Santos admitted in August that he duped voters, deceived donors and stole the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his own family members, to make donations to his congressional campaign.

He was initially due to be sentenced in February, but a judge granted him a three-month reprieve to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines.

As part of his plea deal, Santos agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in restitution and $205,000 in forfeiture.

Santos’ lawyers said at the time that he had little more than $1,000 in liquid assets and needed more time to build his newly launched podcast “Pants on Fire” in order to begin paying off the debt.

Prosecutors maintain Santos profited handsomely from his infamy, arguing he has earned more than $800,000 from appearances on the video-sharing website Cameo and from a new documentary since his expulsion from Congress.

Two of Santos’ campaign staffers have also pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection to the campaign financing scheme.

Sam Miele, his former campaign fundraiser, was sentenced in March to one year and one day in federal prison. He admitted to impersonating a high-ranking congressional aide and charging donors’ credit cards without authorization while raising campaign cash for Santos.

Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, admitted to filing bogus campaign finance reports filled with fake donors and a fake $500,000 personal loan from Santos himself.

The embellishments helped the campaign hit fundraising thresholds needed to qualify for financial backing from the national Republican Party. Marks is due to be sentenced in May.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.