NEW YORK — Former congressman George Santos, who has been embroiled in controversy and legal troubles, is seeking to postpone his sentencing on federal fraud charges until the summer. He has requested this delay in order to pay off over $500,000 in fines through his newly launched podcast, “Pants on Fire.”
However, prosecutors have dismissed Santos’ financial projections as “extremely speculative,” criticizing the podcast’s title as an inappropriate and unrepentant nod to his prior criminal activities. They are pushing for a sentencing date of February 7, arguing that Santos’ claims of having only around $1,000 in liquid assets were not credible.
According to the prosecution, the 36-year-old Santos has made over $400,000 from appearances on Cameo and another $400,000 from a new documentary since his expulsion from the House of Representatives in December 2023. Santos became only the sixth member in history to be ousted by his peers.
Prosecutors noted that this income is in addition to the approximately $174,000 salary he received as a taxpayer-funded congressman during his brief 11-month term. They pointed out that Santos’ request for a delay lacks any detailed accounts of his current financial state and offers no explanation for the dissipation of his assets, including personal expenditures since entering his guilty plea.
Santos, who was elected in 2022, initially rose to prominence by flipping a wealthy New York district that includes parts of Queens and Long Island. However, his reputation began to crumble before he even took office, as various claims about his career and educational background were called into question, raising concerns over his campaign financing.
In August, he entered a guilty plea to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, which involved misleading voters, deceiving donors, and stealing identities, including those of family members, to fund his campaign. During that hearing, Santos attributed his actions to overly ambitious motivations and expressed considerable regret.
He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for the identity theft charge, with potential maximum penalties reaching up to 22 years. Under a plea deal with the prosecutors, Santos agreed to pay a total of around $580,000 in fines, which includes nearly $375,000 in restitution and $205,000 for forfeitures.
On Friday, Santos’ legal team requested a postponement of his sentencing to August, citing the requirement to pay the forfeiture amount 30 days prior to the court date. They argued that the podcast, which he announced shortly after his guilty plea, could become a significant source of income. However, they noted that due to various “technical and logistical impediments,” it was not launched until December 15.
His lawyers highlighted that Santos now has a legitimate path to meeting his financial obligations but emphasized he would need additional time for the revenue from the podcast to materialize. Nevertheless, prosecutors have countered this assertion, stating that the request lacks concrete information regarding the podcast’s expected financial success.
They observed that compensation for Santos would likely be based on 50% of net profits, to be distributed 90 days after the end of each calendar quarter and expressed skepticism that this would generate enough income for him to fulfill his restitution and forfeiture obligations by August.
Additionally, prosecutors raised concerns that approving the postponement could send a poor message, suggesting that allowing Santos to delay sentencing to profit from his criminal notoriety would imply that crime can be rewarded.
