Federal prosecutors ask judge for 7 years for George Santos

The government laid out in detail that cleaned up Santos’ “assortment of illicit schemes” from stealing the identity of an elderly donor, to submitting forged campaign finance documents and manufacturing the majority of his biographies. Prosecutors said Santos exploited “the very system in which we choose representatives,” and lied to “enrich ourselves and capture one of the highest offices in the US government.”

Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023, and a fierce House Ethics Committee report was discovered, using campaign funds for personal luxury and repeatedly lied to the public. Among many manufacturing, Santos misclaimed degrees at Baruch and New York University, and insisted on work at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

In justifying the lengthy sentence, prosecutors said Santos “preyed on a vulnerable victim,” and that he repeatedly escalated his actions, even after the face of them. “When others confront him on suspicion of deceit CE… Santos always doubled, denying misconduct and creating new deceit reports,” the prosecutor wrote.

Related: George Santos’ video is currently on sale for $400 in cameo

The submission revealed that Santos charged thousands of dollars on the credit card of an elderly donor, some with dementia or cognitive impairment. He also stole $100,000 from his supporters by focusing it through fake nonprofits and spent money on luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Venetian hotels in Las Vegas.

in Separate memorandum of judgment The Santos legal team filed Friday asked the court to impose a prison sentence of just 24 months, followed by probation. They said Santos “accepted full responsibility for his actions,” claiming that “his actions arose from misguided despair related to his political campaign, including misleading and abuse of trust, but not inherent maliciousness.”

His lawyers over-referred to the recommended sentence, claiming it would create “unfair disparity compared to unfair disparity compared to sentences imposed on similarly positioned defendants who were also convicted of political fraud crimes in white collar.” They also said Santos suffered from “serious collateral outcomes,” including “loss of his parliamentary seats and the loss of public humiliation,” claiming he had a low risk of recidivism.

Santos’ team added that he provided “significant financial and emotional support” with severe disabilities to his sister and her young daughter, noting that his incarceration would cause “severe difficulties” for his family.

The memo also highlighted Santos’ cooperation in another federal investigation that helped prosecutors pursue the man accused of trying to make him bribe. “Santos’ active support in bringing another offender to justice underscores fundamental respect for the law,” his lawyer wrote.

“Given his public dishonesty and removal from Congress, he is unlikely to commit a similar crime in the future at a unlikely event that he would be in a position to do so,” they added.

Despite allegations of regret, the government said Santos “has not confiscated anything and has not paid a cent to any of the victims.” Instead, he launched a podcast and tried to profit from his infamy by making more than $350,000 from cameo videos.

Calling Santos “a serious future danger to the community,” prosecutors urged the court to impose a sentence that reflected the “width, scope, and predatory nature of his crimes.”

Supporters I contacted Santos for comment. He didn’t respond immediately.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reports.