Disgraced former congressman George Santos is seeking a federal fraud sentence so he can repay more than $500,000 in fines by producing more episodes of his recently launched podcast, Pants on Fire. They asked a New York judge to postpone the case until the summer.
But in their plea Tuesday, prosecutors dismissed the New York Republican's promises of financial benefits as “highly speculative” and changed the show's title to “an unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed while being tone-deaf.” I’m there,” he scoffed.
They also questioned his claim that he had just over $1,000 in liquid assets in arguing for sentencing to proceed as scheduled on Feb. 7.
Prosecutors say Santos, 36, has earned more than $400,000 for appearances on video-sharing website Cameo since he was expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023, and another $400,000 for a new documentary. He said. A member of the chamber's history who was expelled by his colleagues.
Prosecutors say his income is on top of the roughly $174,000 in taxpayer-funded salary he received during his 11 months on Capitol Hill.
“His letter does not explain his current financial situation at all. It provides no explanation for his misappropriation of assets (including personal expenses) in the months following his guilty plea,” prosecutors said. the official wrote.
Mr. Santos' attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.
Santos, who was elected in 2022, was once a Republican star, flipping a wealthy New York district that covers parts of Queens and Long Island.
But his claims of a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree have been debunked amid questions about how he financed his campaign, and his life has been marked by controversy. This was clear even before he took office.
In August, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting to deceiving voters and defrauding donors to make campaign contributions and stealing the personal information of more than a dozen people, including his own family members. Ta.
At the time, Santos blamed ambition for clouding his judgment and said he was “full of deep regrets.” He faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years on the identity theft charge.
As part of the deal with prosecutors, Santos agreed to pay a fine of about $580,000, including about $375,000 in restitution and forfeiture of about $205,000.
But on Friday, his lawyers asked the judge to postpone sentencing until August, noting that the forfeiture must be paid at least 30 days before the trial date.
The weekly podcast, which he released shortly after pleading guilty, is a “promising source of income” but was not launched until Dec. 15 due to “technical and logistical hurdles,” they said.
“Mr. Santos currently has a viable path to making meaningful progress in meeting his obligations, with the quarterly compensation structure requiring only additional time to generate sufficient funds.” his lawyer wrote.
But prosecutors countered that Santos' request did not provide details about the venture's expected revenue.
Based on Probation Department reports, they said his compensation would likely consist of 50% of net profits and be paid within 90 days after the end of each calendar quarter, but the arrangement It is highly unlikely that he will be able to make a significant profit.” Fulfill return and confiscation obligations by August. ”
Prosecutors also warned that granting a postponement would create a “perverse incentive structure” that rewards defendants for exploiting their “notoriety and criminality.”
“In other words, allowing Mr. Santos to evade sentencing in order to monetize his notoriety would send a message to the public that crime has a price,” they wrote. are.
