Trump commutes George Santos’ prison sentence, says he will be released immediately

President Trump said Friday that he has commuted the prison sentence of former New York Republican Congressman George Santos for fraud.

In an article on Truth Social, the president said Santos had been “horribly mistreated” in prison and would be released immediately.

Santos turned himself in to a federal prison in New Jersey July 25 start serving a sentence of more than seven years after having pleaded guilty for charges of wire fraud and identity theft.

The former Long Island congressman has been detained at the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton. In April he was sentenced to 87 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $373,949.97 in fines and restitution.

“George has been in solitary confinement for extended periods of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I have just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a good life!” said the president’s message.

“I am eternally grateful to President Trump for seeing the human side of the suffering Congressman Santos endured. He was in solitary confinement and protective custody due to threats against his life. I am grateful that President Trump saw the humanity and did the right thing for Congressman Santos,” Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, said in a statement.

In a later statement, Murray went on to thank Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Tim Burchett and former Congressman Matt Gaetz, among others.

Santos was elected to serve New York’s 3rd congressional district in 2022. The following year, he was expelled from Congress after a House Ethics Committee report found “substantial evidence” he broke the law.

Rep. Nick LaLota, another Long Island Republican, who called Santos “an embarrassment”, and fought to have him removed from office, said he deserved to stay in prison longer.

“George Santos didn’t just lie: he stole millions, defrauded an election and his crimes (to which he pleaded guilty) warrant a sentence of more than three months. He should dedicate the rest of his life to showing remorse and making restitution to those he wronged,” LaLota posted Friday on social media.

Santos has been accused of exaggerating or lying about parts of his story shortly after his election. He was accused of defrauding voters and donors in his district, which includes Nassau County and parts of Queens.

The accusations against him ranged from false claims that he was a multimillionaire to forging a Baruch College diploma. He was also accused of soliciting donations to a fictitious nonprofit and engaging in credit card fraud to steal from elderly and cognitively impaired donors.

After his sentencingSantos released a lengthy statement on social media that read in part: “I believe 7 years in prison is an excessive sentence influenced by political considerations and I implore that President Trump give me a chance to prove that I am more than the mistakes I have made.” »

A commutation is not a pardon, so Santos’ record will not be expunged.