Prosecutors Seek 7-Year Term For Former Rep. George Santos

Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued that a significant sentence was warranted because Santos' “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the election system, the Associated Press reports. “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 said 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 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, they rejected the notion that Santos will fall back into criminal behavior, noting he has no prior criminal record and 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 given to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other political figures facing similar financial crimes. They touted Santos’ cooperation in a separate federal investigation of 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 sentence Santos’ on April 25.