The Division of Justice (DOJ) is reviewing in search of a 7 12 months sentence for former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in keeping with a Friday submitting.
Prosecutors stated the size of the requested sentence displays the intense nature of Santos’s “unparalleled” crimes.
“Santos planned and executed an assortment of fraudulent schemes and leveraged them and a fictious life story to enrich himself and capture one of the highest offices in the government of the United States,” DOJ attorneys wrote, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
They added that the previous congressman’s continued lies made a “mockery” of the U.S. election system. Santos initially denied allegations of wrongdoing when confronted by lawmakers after a scathing report from the Home ethics committee however ultimately pleaded responsible to wire fraud and aggravated id theft final 12 months.
“From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,” prosecutors wrote.
The legislator was ousted from his publish in 2023, the identical 12 months he pleaded responsible to overarching crimes. He was ordered to pay $205,000 in forfeiture, along with $375,000 in restitution however nonetheless hasn’t submitted funds for both effective.
“Against that backdrop, moreover, Santos’s post-plea claims of remorse ring hollow. As of this writing, despite years of actively courting media attention and capitalizing on his infamy, Santos has forfeited nothing of his ill-gotten gains and has not repaid one cent to any of the victims of his financial crimes,” prosecutors wrote.
“The Court can and should find that this fact “demonstrate[s] a strong risk of recidivism and a lack of remorse for his conduct.”
A choose is predicted to make a ruling relating to Santos’s sentencing on April 25.
