George Santos

George Anthony Devolder Santos
Born:	July 22, 1988 Queens, New York
Charges:	Wire fraud (2 counts), Aggravated identity theft, False statements to FEC, COVID unemployment fraud
Sentence:	87 months (commuted to time served after 84 days)
Facility:	FCI Fairton
Status:	Released (sentence commuted)

George Anthony Devolder Santos (born July 22, 1988) is a former United States Representative from New York who served just 84 days of an 87-month federal prison sentence before President Donald Trump commuted his sentence in October 2025. Santos was elected to Congress in November 2022 representing New York's 3rd congressional district, but his time there was consumed by scandal. After his election, revelations emerged that he'd fabricated virtually every aspect of his personal biography: his education, employment history, religious heritage, family background—all lies. He became the sixth member in United States history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. More notably, he was the first to face expulsion without having been convicted of a crime when the House voted 311 to 114 to remove him in December 2023. In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His admissions painted a picture of systematic deception: he fabricated campaign donors, stole identities from his own contributors to make unauthorized credit card charges, and fraudulently collected COVID-19 unemployment benefits while actually employed. On October 17, 2025, President Trump commuted Santos's sentence. He was released immediately, and the commutation also wiped away his obligation to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution to his victims.

Summary

George Santos's political career was remarkably short and extraordinarily brazen in its deception. Over his 2022 campaign and 11-month time in Congress, Santos invented claim after claim about his background: work at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, degrees from Baruch College and NYU, founding an animal charity, Jewish heritage and Holocaust-survivor grandparents, losing employees in the Pulse nightclub massacre. The list went on. His fabrications began unraveling almost immediately. The New York Times published an investigation just days after his election in December 2022, raising hard questions about his background.

The biographical lies weren't themselves illegal. His financial crimes were. Federal prosecutors hit him with a 23-count superseding indictment alleging systematic fraud of campaign donors, false statements to the Federal Election Commission, identity theft against his own supporters, and fraudulent collection of COVID-19 unemployment benefits. These weren't victimless deceptions. Santos had stolen from people who believed in him.

His guilty plea came in August 2024. The sentence that followed—87 months in federal prison—ranked among the longest imposed on a former member of Congress for corruption. But then came October 2025, when Trump commuted his sentence after just 84 days. The commutation didn't only free him from prison. It also eliminated his obligation to pay restitution to fraud victims. The move sparked fierce criticism from those viewing it as Trump rewarding a political ally, though supporters argued Santos's original sentence had been too harsh.

Background

Early Life

George Anthony Devolder Santos was born on July 22, 1988, in Queens, New York. His parents had immigrated from Brazil. His mother, Fátima Aziza Caruso Horta Devolder, came to Florida in 1985 before moving to New York, where she worked as a housekeeper, cook, and nanny. His father, Gercino Júnior dos Santos, was a house painter. The family moved around Queens—Sunnyside, Jackson Heights—living paycheck to paycheck. Santos later claimed they'd lived in a "rat-infested basement apartment."

He went to Queens public schools: P.S. 122 in Astoria, I.S. 125 in Woodside. But Santos would later claim he'd attended Baruch College and NYU. False. His actual education stopped at a GED. Around 1998, his father returned to Brazil and remarried, leaving his mother to raise George alone.

Time in Brazil

In 2008, Santos moved to Niterói in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro area where his mother was living. He stayed roughly until 2011. During those years in Brazil, people knew him as Anthony Devolder. He was involved in the local LGBT community. People who knew him then say he performed as a drag queen under the stage name "Kitara Ravache" at drag shows. Santos initially denied this but eventually acknowledged it.

Fabricated Biography

Lies paved the entire road to Congress. During his campaigns and time in office, Santos made false claim after false claim. All of them later fell apart.

• Education: He claimed degrees from Baruch College and attendance at NYU. Actually, he has only a GED. Never attended either school.

• Employment: He said he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Neither company has any employment record of him.

• Jewish Heritage: He claimed to be "Jew-ish" with Ukrainian Jewish grandparents who'd escaped the Holocaust. Genealogical records show his maternal grandparents were born in Brazil before World War II. No evidence of Jewish or Ukrainian heritage exists.

• 9/11 Connection: He claimed his mother was in the South Tower during the September 11 attacks and later died from related illness. His mother was in Brazil on 9/11.

• Animal Charity: He said he'd founded an animal rescue charity called Friends of Pets United that saved over 2,500 animals. No such registered organization exists.

• Pulse Nightclub: He claimed to have lost four employees in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Nothing supports this.

• Property Ownership: He claimed to own multiple New York properties. Property records show he owned no real estate at the time.

Congressional Career

2020 Campaign

Santos first ran for Congress in 2020 against incumbent Democrat Tom Suozzi in New York's 3rd congressional district. He lost by roughly 12 percentage points. Even then, Santos was fabricating parts of his background. But nobody paid much attention yet.

2022 Election

He tried again in 2022 after redistricting and Suozzi's decision to run for governor. This time, Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman by about 8 percentage points on November 8, 2022. His victory rode a strong Republican wave in New York that helped the party take the House.

Exposure and Scandal

The New York Times struck three days before he was sworn in. On December 19, 2022, they published an investigation showing that many of Santos's claims couldn't be verified. Other outlets piled on, exposing the full scope of his deceptions. Both Democrats and some Republicans called for his resignation. Santos refused to leave.

Congressional Tenure

He was sworn in on January 3, 2023, as part of the 118th Congress. Controversy followed him constantly. Multiple expulsion attempts came early. Speaker Kevin McCarthy assigned him to the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee, but he was stripped of those assignments once federal charges arrived.

Santos introduced legislation during his time in office. None of it became law. He voted with the Republican majority on most issues and cast a crucial vote for Kevin McCarthy during the prolonged January 2023 Speaker election.

Expulsion

December 1, 2023 was the end. The House voted 311 to 114 to expel him. Only six members have ever been expelled in American history. Santos was the first without a prior conviction. The vote included 105 Republicans joining all Democrats. A damning House Ethics Committee report had concluded that Santos violated federal law and House rules.

Federal Criminal Case

Initial Indictment

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed charges on May 10, 2023. They charged him with 13 counts: wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House. According to the indictment, Santos had defrauded campaign donors, made unauthorized charges on their credit cards, and fraudulently collected COVID-19 unemployment benefits while working.

Superseding Indictment

October 2023 brought a bigger blow: prosecutors filed a superseding indictment. Now 23 counts. Additional wire fraud charges and charges for falsifying Federal Election Commission records. The new indictment showed in detail how Santos had fabricated donors to make his campaign look more successful than it was, giving the false impression he'd hit the $250,000 fundraising threshold needed for the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program.

The Fraudulent Schemes

Prosecutors described multiple overlapping schemes:

FEC Filing Fraud: Santos and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, fabricated dozens of contributions on FEC filings. They listed donations from people who'd never given money, creating a false appearance of reaching the $250,000 threshold needed to join the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program for campaign support.

Credit Card Fraud: Using donor credit card information without permission, Santos made personal charges. He'd obtained these details through campaign donation forms, then used them for unauthorized purchases.

COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud: Santos applied for and received pandemic unemployment benefits in 2020, claiming joblessness while actually working and earning income. He collected roughly $24,000 fraudulently.

Personal Enrichment: Prosecutors alleged Santos used campaign funds for personal expenses including luxury goods and deceived donors about how their contributions would be used.

Guilty Plea

August 19, 2024. Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His plea agreement covered conduct underlying all 23 counts, including the FEC fraud, credit card fraud, and unemployment fraud. During his allocution, Santos acknowledged that ambition had clouded his judgment and he'd made serious errors.

He told the court: "I allowed ambition to get ahead of me, clouding my judgment. I stand here today not just to face judgment, but to acknowledge my serious errors that were made when I chose to pursue my political ambitions in an impermissible, illegal way."

Sentencing

April 25, 2025. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert handed down 87 months in prison. Over seven years. The sentence exceeded what prosecutors had recommended, reflecting her view that Santos had seriously abused public trust.

Santos wept at sentencing. He apologized to his victims and expressed remorse. Judge Seybert ordered him to pay $373,749.97 in restitution to victims and $205,002.97 in forfeiture. She also imposed two years of supervised release after his prison time.

He had to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by July 25, 2025.

Prison Experience

Surrender and Facility Assignment

Santos reported to Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in New Jersey on July 25, 2025. FCI Fairton housed roughly 1,100 male inmates at the time.

Federal prison consultant Sam Mangel described what life at the Fairton camp would look like for the congressman:

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Solitary Confinement

Not long after arriving, prison officials placed Santos in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) for administrative segregation. They'd received reports of a death threat against him. Santos claimed he spent 41 days in solitary under conditions he called inhumane.

After his release, Santos described the SHU bluntly: "The Box I'm in is 15x17 ft., extremely dirty with no ventilation, with musty, dirty air, and my only source of drinking water comes from the top of my toilet. The shower only runs ice-cold water, and showers are only extended 3 times a week, with soap that does not lather or foam on recycled underwear from other inmates. There is no dignity, no humanity in this place."

Mental Health Struggles

The experience took a serious toll. Santos has spoken publicly about contemplating suicide during his incarceration. He wrote three suicide notes while inside and thought about hanging himself in his cell. Prayer, he's said, kept him alive.

"I wanted to document my feelings in case I felt short and weak and did it," he said in an interview. "Three different times. I wrote three different letters."

Medical Treatment Concerns

Santos has alleged that FCI Fairton stopped his ADHD medication upon arrival and replaced it with antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications without proper evaluation. This change left him feeling "zombified" and unable to function normally. He also alleged problems with black mold throughout the facility and expired food being served.

Presidential Commutation

Campaign for Clemency

Starting in August 2025, efforts began to get Santos released. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia led the charge. She'd been one of Santos's few allies in Congress and considers him a friend. Greene went directly to President Trump and pushed hard for clemency.

A White House official explained Trump's thinking: "Many people wrote to him about it. The reach-outs on this that President Trump got were overwhelming."

The Commutation

October 17, 2025. Trump signed a commutation releasing Santos from prison "immediately." The clemency order stated: "an immediate commutation of his entire sentence to time served with no further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, or other conditions."

Here's what mattered most: the commutation wiped away his obligation to pay $373,749.97 in restitution. Santos's victims would see nothing. The court's order to compensate them simply vanished.

Trump's Statement

Trump acknowledged Santos's misconduct while defending his decision. Trump called Santos a "rogue" but compared him favorably to Senator Richard Blumenthal, accusing Blumenthal of lying about Vietnam service. Trump concluded: "This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!"

Release

October 18, 2025. Santos walked out after serving 84 days of his 87-month sentence. In interviews afterward, he maintained the prosecution had been politically motivated. But he also admitted mistakes.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm getting away with my crimes," Santos said. "I pleaded guilty. I took accountability for what I did wrong. But I also feel like the punishment didn't fit the crime."

Post-Release Activities

Public Statements

Since getting out, Santos has done multiple interviews about prison and his future. He insists his prosecution was politically motivated. Still, he accepts responsibility for his guilty pleas.

His time in the SHU especially changed his thinking. He says prison reform has become a passion: "It's actually creating recidivism because it's not doing what it's supposed to do. I told this to the president, that I'd love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way."

Relationship with Trump

Trump called Santos after the commutation. But Trump gave no advance warning. Santos learned of his impending release only when prison officials told him.

Terminology

• Wire Fraud: A federal crime involving electronic communications to execute a defrauding scheme.

• Aggravated Identity Theft: Using another's identity to commit a felony, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence.

• Commutation: A sentence reduction that doesn't erase the conviction, as distinguished from a pardon which forgives the crime itself.

• Special Housing Unit (SHU): Administrative segregation in federal prison, commonly called "solitary confinement."

• Restitution: Court-ordered payment to crime victims to compensate for their losses.

See also

• Steve Bannon
• Rod Blagojevich
• Bob Menendez

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was George Santos convicted of?

Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2024. He admitted to fabricating campaign donors on FEC filings, making unauthorized charges on donor credit cards, and fraudulently collecting roughly $24,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits while employed. He also admitted deceiving donors about how campaign contributions would be used.

Q: How long was George Santos's prison sentence?

Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced him to 87 months (over 7 years) in federal prison on April 25, 2025. He served only 84 days before President Trump commuted his sentence in October 2025, resulting in immediate release.

Q: Did George Santos receive a presidential pardon?

He received a commutation, not a pardon. A commutation reduces or eliminates a prison sentence but doesn't erase the conviction. Santos's commutation freed him from prison immediately and eliminated his obligation to pay restitution and fines, but his federal convictions remain on his record.

Q: What lies did George Santos tell about his background?

Santos fabricated numerous aspects of his biography, including false claims of working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, attending Baruch College and NYU, having Jewish heritage with Holocaust-survivor grandparents, founding an animal charity, and losing employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting. His actual education stopped at a GED and he never worked at those financial institutions.

Q: Where did George Santos serve his prison sentence?

Santos served time at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Fairton in New Jersey, a medium-security federal prison. Prison officials placed him in solitary confinement for 41 days after receiving reports of a death threat against him.

Q: Why was George Santos expelled from Congress?

The House voted 311-114 to expel him on December 1, 2023, following a damning House Ethics Committee report that concluded he'd violated federal law and House rules. He was the first member of Congress to face expulsion without having been convicted of a crime first.