- Net worth
- Unknown
- Crimes
- wire fraud, campaign finance
- Convicted of
- Wire fraud; aggravated identity theft
- Original sentence
- 87 months' imprisonment; restitution; forfeiture (April 25, 2025)
- Time served
- ~3 months before commutation
Background
George Santos is a former U.S. Representative from New York (2023–December 2023). He was expelled from the House after an ethics investigation revealed extensive fabrications about his background and misuse of campaign funds. He pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft and was sentenced to prison in April 2025.
The Case
Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He admitted to inflating fundraising numbers, creating fake donor names, filing false FEC reports, embezzling campaign funds, charging donors’ credit cards without authorization, and stealing the identities of 11 people—including family members—to make donations to his campaign. He also obtained unemployment benefits fraudulently during his 2022 campaign. He was sentenced to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture. His conduct defrauded donors, misled voters, and undermined trust in elections and public office.
The Pardon
On October 17, 2025, President Trump commuted Santos’s federal sentence. Santos was released from custody the same day.