‘Refuses To Fully Own Up’: Prosecutor Urges Judge To Throw Book at ‘Unrepentant’ George Santos

Federal prosecutors say an “unrepentant” George Santos should receive a significant sentence after the disgraced ex-congressman launched a social media blitz attacking the Department of Justice ahead of his April 25 sentencing.In a letter to the federal sentencing judge obtained by the Daily Voice, U.S. Attorney John Durham calls Mr. Santos a liar who posted a “bizarre missive portraying himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach and selective prosecution.”Among the posts that prosecutor includes in the letter is one where Mr. Santos claimed that it was a “false statement” that he used campaign funds to buy Hermès goods.Mr. Durham says that the court knows he did use campaign contributions for such purposes. “Even at this late stage, he simply refuses to fully own up to his actions,” the letter states.The letter cites another post which Mr. Santos stated, “Long story short, I will NOT succumb to their soul crushing antics and that makes them furious.”Mr. Santos also claimed that prosecutors want him to go to prison for 87 months while they “refuse to prosecute the cabal of pedophiles running around in every power structure in the world including the US Government.”The letter says the social media rants add to prosecutors’ belief that Judge Joanna Seybert should impose a “reasonable and appropriate” sentence of seven and a quarter years. Guidelines call for a minimum sentence of two years but he could face up to 22 years in prison.Mr. Santos represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District on Long Island after a surprise win in 2022 running as an unknown. Soon after the election it was discovered that much of his resume was a lie.A Congressional investigation then found a series of issues with his campaign financing including fake donors, identity theft, and lying about his finances to Congress. He was expelled in December 2023.Mr. Santos had pleaded not guilty to a range of federal financial crimes, including lying to Congress, collecting unemployment benefits while working, and embezzling campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.Mr. Santos pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft shortly before his trial was set to begin last September.Along with the prison time, Mr. Santos is required to pay $373,749.97 in restitution and forfeit $205,002.97. The letter to Judge Seybert notes that Mr. Santos has not repaid any victims and has a “high likelihood of reoffending.”Lawyers for Mr. Santos have sought the minimum two-year prison sentence.Two campaign aides also pleaded guilty to crimes related to the former congressman’s campaign. His ex-treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge and implicated Mr. Santos in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a fake loan and fake donors. A former fundraiser for Mr. Santos, Sam Miele, pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash for Mr. Santos.

‘Refuses To Fully Own Up’: Prosecutor Urges Judge To Throw Book at ‘Unrepentant’ George Santos

‘Refuses To Fully Own Up’: Prosecutor Urges Judge To Throw Book at ‘Unrepentant’ George Santos

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