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The Republican ex-lawmaker, 36, was sentenced to 87 months (just over 7 years) behind bars in Central Islip federal court on Friday, April 25, months after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft.
As part of his plea agreement, Santos agreed to pay a $200,000 forfeiture and over $373,000 in restitution to his victims.
Friday’s sentencing capped off one of the most bizarre chapters in American political history, one in which a sitting member of Congress was expelled and later confessed to scamming donors after essentially lying about every aspect of his identity to get elected in the first place.
Santos, who represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District on Long Island, admitted to submitting fake donation reports, committing identity theft, scamming donors through a fake nonprofit, and lying about his finances to both voters and Congress.
Prosecutors said he also fraudulently collected more than $24,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits while still earning a salary.
In a sentencing memo filed in April, prosecutors outlined what they described as an “unparalleled” pattern of lies, fraud, and exploitation that helped propel the ousted Republican politician to national power.
What Santos Did
According to prosecutors, Santos carried out several overlapping fraud schemes during his political campaigns in 2020 and 2022:
Fake Donations: He and his campaign treasurer submitted phony donation reports to the Federal Election Commission, falsely claiming family members gave thousands of dollars in order to qualify for key Republican fundraising support.
Credit Card Fraud: Santos used the stolen credit card information of elderly and cognitively impaired donors to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized campaign contributions, sometimes using fake or stolen identities to hide the source of the funds.
Fake Nonprofit Scam: He created a shell company, Redstone Strategies, falsely claiming it was a nonprofit supporting his campaign. Donors gave large sums believing it would fund political ads, but Santos instead wired the money to his personal bank account—spending it on luxury goods, hotel stays, and credit card bills.
COVID Unemployment Fraud: While employed and earning a salary, Santos fraudulently collected more than $24,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits.
Lies To Congress: In financial disclosure forms, he falsely claimed to earn millions through a business that had only a few thousand dollars in its accounts and omitted income he actually earned through employment and fraudulent benefits.
Even after his indictment, Santos continued monetizing his notoriety, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars through Cameo and podcast appearances — all without paying any restitution, prosecutors noted.
“His actions speak louder than any words,” US Attorney John Durham told the judge. “And they cry out for a significant carceral sentence.”
Santos' ascension to the halls of Congress in 2022 was built on a stairway of lies–He falsely claimed to have graduated from Baruch College and worked at prestigious firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup—credentials that were later debunked by The New York Times.
He also misrepresented his heritage and financial status, portraying himself as a successful businessman with substantial wealth, despite evidence to the contrary. The fabrications went largely unchallenged during his campaign, partly due to limited media scrutiny and a political climate favoring Republican candidates in the region.
Santos, notorious for his rants on X, formerly Twitter, had not posted about the sentencing as of press time.
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