Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case

NEW YORK– NEW YORK — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft.

The New York Republican was convicted in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and impersonating 11 people — including members of his own family — to make donations to his campaign.

He reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, on July 25 and is currently being held in a minimum-security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘thug,’ but there are many thugs throughout our country who do not have to serve seven years in prison,” Trump said on his social media platform. He said he “just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY.”

“Good luck George, have a great life!” » Trump said.

Andrew Mancilla, one of Santos’ lawyers, said Friday that he was “very, very happy with the decision,” although he said it was unclear at this point when Santos would be released. Spokespeople for the Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Santos’ X account, which was active throughout his roughly 84 days in prison, reposted a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post on Friday.

During his time behind bars, Santos wrote regular dispatches for a local Long Island newspaper, The South Shore Press. In his latest letter, released Oct. 13, Santos pleaded directly with Trump, citing his loyalty to the president’s agenda and the Republican Party.

“Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity – the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” he wrote. “I humbly ask that you consider the pain and unusual difficulties of this environment and grant me the opportunity to return to my family, friends and community.”

Santos’ commutation is Trump’s latest high-profile act of clemency toward former Republican politicians since taking back the White House in January.

In late May, he pardoned former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who in 2014 pleaded guilty to underreporting wages and income from a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. He also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two stints in federal prison.

But by granting clemency to Santos, Trump was rewarding a figure who had sparked contempt within his own party.

After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story.

On the campaign trail, Santos claimed he was a successful business consultant with Wall Street credibility and a large real estate portfolio. But when his resume was reviewed, Santos finally admitted that he had never graduated from Baruch College — nor been a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team, as he had claimed. He had never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

He wasn’t even Jewish. Santos insisted he meant he was “Jewish” because his mother’s family was of Jewish descent, even though he was raised Catholic.

In truth, the then 34-year-old was struggling financially and was even at risk of eviction.

Santos was charged in 2023 with stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.

Within months, he was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives – 105 Republicans joined with Democrats, making Santos the sixth member in House history to be ousted by his colleagues.

Santos pleaded guilty when he was scheduled to stand trial.

Yet a former top House colleague, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, urged the White House to commute Santos’ sentence, saying in a letter sent just days after his imprisonment that the punishment was “a grave injustice” and the product of judicial overreach.

Greene was among those who applauded the announcement Friday. But U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican who represents part of Long Island and has been highly critical of Santos, said in a social media post that Santos “did not just lie” and that his crimes “warrant a sentence of more than three months.”

“He should dedicate the rest of his life to showing remorse and making amends to those he wronged,” LaLota said.

In explaining his reasons for granting Santos a pardon, Trump said the lies Santos told about himself were no worse than the misleading statements made by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal — a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration — about his military past.

Blumenthal apologized 15 years ago for implying he had served in Vietnam, while he was stateside in the Marine Reserves during the war.

“This is way worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the courage, conviction and intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump wrote.

The president himself was convicted in a New York court last year in a case involving hush-money payments. He derided the affair as part of a politically motivated witch hunt.

__

Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York and Susan Haigh in Connecticut contributed to this report.