On Monday, expelled congressman George Santos pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a federal fraud case that—in part—ended his career in politics. “I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” the compulsive liar and former drag performer said in a Long Island courtroom. In December, the former Republican congressman was indicted on charges that he stole from political donors, misappropriated campaign contributions for personal expenses, repeatedly lied to Congress about his wealth, and—despite being very much employed—collected unemployment. Santos will be held to account for what he referred to as a "litany" of crimes at a sentencing hearing set for February 2025. Santos is reportedly facing a minimum of six years in prison and owes at least $373,000 dollars in restitution. my favorite days as a social media manager is when George Santos does some weird shit because there's ALWAYS a clip I have of him lying on camera https://t.co/vp29VbprzO — madeline conroy (@madconroy9) August 19, 2024 "Today, for what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos told the truth about his criminal schemes. He admitted that he lied, he stole, and that he conned people. Santos' countless lies and audacious misrepresentations catapulted him to Congress," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. "But for the victims of Santos' various financial crimes and the community whose falsehoods and fabrications deprived them of honest representation in Congress, he is worthy only of infamy." For the last several months, Santos made the media rounds to shamelessly throw his colleagues under the bus and assert his innocence to anyone who would listen, including those who paid $350 for one of his Cameos—that is when he wasn't doling out advice. Santos also announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and launched a congressional comeback bid as an independent, only to swiftly end his campaign one month later. In December 2023, CBS New York reporter Marcia Kramer asked him whether he was afraid of going to jail, to which Santos replied: "I think everybody should be afraid of going to jail. It's not a pretty place. I definitely want to work very hard to avoid that as best as possible." In fairness, I'd also prefer an alternative punishment for Santos (read: a TLC series). But, alas... Sashay away, Kitara Ravache.
