President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, releasing the disgraced former Republican congressman immediately.
‘George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,’ Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post.
‘George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!’, the president continued.
In July, Santos reported to a federal prison in New Jersey to begin serving a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people´s identities in order to fund his congressional campaign.
Santos was once heralded in the Republican Party for winning a perennially contested New York congressional seat covering parts of Queens and Long Island. But then it became clear that he fabricated much of his life story.
Among false claims were that his mother died in the 9/11 attacks. He also had to explain that he was ‘Jew-ish,’ not Jewish, when questions were raised about his claim that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust.
He survived two expulsion attempts before a scathing House ethics committee report in late 2023 led to his ouster from Congress, making him only the sixth member in the chamber´s history to be removed by colleagues.
President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, releasing the disgraced former Republican congressman immediately
Santos is seen arriving at federal court for sentencing in April in Central Islip, New York
The former New York Republican was sentenced to 87 months in prison for aggravated identity theft and wire fraud committed around his brief stint on Capitol Hill.
The fabulist liar made up a host of twisted tails about working on Wall Street, being a collegiate volleyball star and an heir to a real estate empire.
Santos, 37, took office in January 2023, becoming the first openly gay Republican to be elected. He was expelled later that year after his web of lies began to unfurl.
Prosecutors presented evidence of Santos spending political donations on Botox, designer clothes, casino holidays, and OnlyFans fees.
He was also ordered to pay at least $373,749.97 in restitution and forfeit over $200,000, according to a plea agreement he made last year.
Since his sentencing, Santos had been vying for Trump to commute his sentence – as evidenced by long rants he’s posted to social media claiming he is the victim of unfair legal prosecution.
‘From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been,’ he wrote before heading to prison. ‘I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.’
Federal prosecutors indicted Santos for defrauding his own political supporters the same year he took office.
He took their donations and moved them into his own bank accounts, later using the funds on a slew of personal expenses, prosecutors claimed.
Santos also as alleged to have fraudulently applied for COVID pandemic benefits despite not meeting the qualifications, the feds said.
In addition, the ex-lawmaker lied on his campaign paperwork to qualify for funding from the Republican Party, prosecutors alleged. He also was accused of using his donor’s payment information to make contributions in their name to his campaign.
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