Federal prosecutors are urging a choose to condemn disgraced homosexual former New York Congressman George Santos to greater than seven years in jail, calling him a “pathological liar and fraudster” who “made a mockery of our election system.”
In a sentencing memo filed Friday, the Justice Division beneficial a seven-year and three-month sentence for Santos, who pleaded guilty final yr to felony wire fraud and aggravated id theft. He’s set to be sentenced on April 25 within the Jap District of New York.
The federal government specified by sweeping element Santos’s “assortment of fraudulent schemes,” from stealing the identities of aged donors to submitting falsified marketing campaign finance paperwork and fabricating most of his biography. Prosecutors stated Santos exploited “the very system by which we choose our representatives,” utilizing lies “to complement himself and seize one of many highest workplaces within the authorities of the USA.”
Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023 following a blistering Home Ethics Committee report that discovered he used marketing campaign funds for private luxuries and repeatedly lied to the general public. Among the many many fabrications, Santos falsely claimed levels from Baruch School and New York College and jobs at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
In justifying the prolonged sentence, prosecutors stated Santos “preyed on… susceptible victims” and repeatedly escalated his habits, even after being confronted. “When others confronted him with suspicions of deceit… Santos, with out fail, has doubled down, disclaiming any wrongdoing and creating new deceptions,” prosecutors wrote.
The submitting revealed that Santos charged hundreds of {dollars} to the bank cards of aged donors, some with dementia or cognitive impairments. He additionally stole $100,000 from a supporter by funneling it via a faux nonprofit, then spent the money on luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.
In a separate sentencing memorandum submitted Friday, Santos’s authorized workforce requested the court docket to impose a sentence of simply 24 months in jail, adopted by probation. They stated Santos has “accepted full duty for his actions” and argued that “his conduct, although involving dishonesty and abuse of belief, stemmed largely from a misguided desperation associated to his political marketing campaign, slightly than inherent malice.”
His attorneys known as the beneficial sentence extreme and claimed it might create “an unwarranted disparity in comparison with sentences imposed on equally located defendants convicted of comparable white-collar and political fraud offenses.” In addition they stated Santos has suffered “vital collateral penalties,” together with “the lack of his congressional seat and public humiliation,” and claimed he poses a low danger of reoffending.
Santos’s workforce added that he has offered “vital monetary and emotional help” to his sister and her younger daughter with extreme disabilities and famous that his incarceration would trigger “extreme hardship” for his household.
The memo additionally highlighted Santos’s cooperation in a separate federal investigation through which he helped prosecutors pursue a person accused of making an attempt to bribe him. “Mr. Santos’s proactive help in bringing one other offender to justice underscores a basic respect for the legislation,” his legal professionals wrote.
“Given his public shame and removing from Congress, he’s unlikely to commit related offenses sooner or later within the unlikely occasion he finds himself within the place to take action,” they added.
Regardless of claims of regret, the federal government stated Santos has “forfeited nothing and has not repaid one cent to any of the victims.” As an alternative, he has tried to profit from his notoriety by launching a podcast and incomes over $350,000 from Cameo videos.
Calling Santos “a major future hazard to the neighborhood,” prosecutors urged the court docket to impose a sentence that displays the “breadth, scope, and predatory nature” of his crimes.
The Advocate contacted Santos for remark. He didn’t instantly reply.
Editor’s be aware: This story has been up to date with further reporting.
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