CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) 鈥 Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who lied about his life story and defrauded donors, was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he heard his punishment.
Santos, who last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, appealed for mercy, telling a court through tears that he was 鈥渉umbled鈥 and 鈥渃hastised鈥 and realized he had betrayed his constituents' trust.
鈥淚 offer my deepest apologies,鈥 he said, adding: 鈥淚 cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.鈥
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert evidently wasn't convinced.
鈥淲here is your remorse? Where do I see it?鈥 she asked as she sentenced him to 87 months behind bars. She said the former politician appeared to feel that 鈥渋t鈥檚 always someone else鈥檚 fault.鈥
The New York Republican served in Congress barely a year before his House colleagues ousted him in 2023.
He admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his family members, to fund his winning campaign. As part of a plea deal, Santos has agreed to pay roughly $580,000 in penalties in addition to prison time.
The 36-year-old didn't respond to reporters' shouted questions as he walked into a Long Island courthouse, but he told The Associated Press on Thursday that he was resigned to his fate.
鈥淚鈥檓 doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances,鈥 Santos wrote in a text message, adding that he was 鈥渞eady to face the music.鈥
Prosecutors sought the 87-month sentence, questioning Santos' remorse in light of his recent social media posts casting himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach.
Prosecutor Ryan Harris said some of Santos' victims were 鈥渆xtremely vulnerable," including a woman with brain damage and two octogenarian men who have dementia. Santos has said in recent days that he has no intention of paying back victims promptly, Harris noted.
鈥淧eople think of this as a victimless crime because it鈥檚 about money. There are many victims in this crime,鈥 added New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon.
She addressed the court as a victim because Santos collected unemployment benefits while employed by a Florida company.
Santos鈥 lawyers had called for a two-year prison stint, the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.
Defense lawyer Andrew Mancilla portrayed the ex-congressman as a troubled figure forged by adversity. Santos, who has no prior criminal record, grew up in a 鈥渂roken house鈥 and was subjected to bullying throughout his life, the attorney said.
As a result, 鈥渉e built the man he wanted to be, not who he was,鈥 Mancilla said. 鈥淗e did that because he believed that the world would not accept him for who he was.鈥
鈥淒eep down, he is warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful,鈥 Mancilla said.
But, the lawyer said, now 鈥渆veryone hates George Santos.鈥
Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP.
Soon after, it was revealed that the political unknown had fabricated much of his life story, painting himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio.
In reality, Santos was struggling financially and even faced eviction. The revelations led to congressional and criminal inquiries into .
As his sentencing approached, Santos was reflective in social media posts, thanking his supporters and detractors alike.
鈥淚 learned that no matter left, right or, center we are all humans and for the most part Americans (LOL) and we have one super power that I cherish and that is compassion,鈥 he . 鈥淭o the trolls鈥 well you guys are an impactful part of how people shape themselves, and y鈥檃ll made me much stronger and made my skin thicker!鈥
He also made one final plug for his Cameo account, where he records personalized video messages for $100.
鈥淭hink ahead and of any celebration or event coming up later this year. Book them today,鈥 Santos wrote, ending the post with a series of heart emojis.
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Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this story.
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