Ex-politican George Santos starts years-long prison term

Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., began his more than seven-year prison sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. Santos admitted to deceiving voters and donors while stealing the identities of numerous people, including members of his family, to funnel money into his congressional campaign. He was sentenced to 87 months in prison in April after making a deal with prosecutors and avoiding trial for nearly two dozen financial crime charges. The 37-year-old will also pay at least $373,000 in restitution under the plea deal.

Santos pleaded his innocence throughout the federal investigation and refused to leave office even after pleading guilty to the criminal charges. The House of Representatives formally expelled Santos in December with a 311-114 vote. The social media account Gays for Trump called for President Donald Trump to pardon the disgraced senator on Thursday evening.

What was his final message? The ever-expressive Santos shared a number of goodbye messages Thursday night during several livestreams on X, before posting one final farewell.

He addressed the public as darlings, describing his political career as messy and occasionally glamorous. He said his supporters made what he characterized as the wild political cabaret worth it, and he thanked his critics for what he called his free publicity. He hinted at his return to the public eye after serving his time. Santos’ sentencing judge declined the former politician’s request for a lighter sentence in April, describing Santos as unapologetic.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report for more about Santos’ crimes and sentencing.