Former Congressman George Anthony Devolder Santos was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert at the federal courthouse in Central Islip to 87 months in prison for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the sentence, Santos was ordered to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $373,749.97 and $205,002.97 in forfeiture. Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024.  

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham, Head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Matthew R. Galeotti, FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia, New York IRS Special Criminal Investigation Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr., and Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced the sentence.

“George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft and fraud he perpetrated.  For the defendant, it was judgment day. For his many victims, including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members and his constituents, it is justice,” stated Durham.  “To Mr. Santos and other dishonest individuals of that ilk, who lie, steal identities and commit frauds to get elected to public office, this prosecution speaks to the truth that my office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption and that public officials who criminally abuse our electoral process will end up in a federal prison.”

Mr. Durham thanked the U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of Inspector General and the New York State Department of Labor for their assistance.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia stated, “Former United States Congressman George Santos is held accountable for his repeated criminal dishonesty — financing his election campaign with ill-obtained funds, stealing COVID unemployment benefits and providing materially false information in his financial disclosure. Santos abused his authority to garner illicit donations and campaign support, ultimately betraying the public’s trust and violating our democratic systems.  May this sentencing emphasize the FBI’s continued commitment to dismantling any fraudulent scheme designed to unlawfully benefit those in positions of power.”

“George Santos blatantly disregarded campaign finance laws and abused the trust of his constituents and contributors.  While he may have made a mockery of his position in public office, this sentencing is justice for those he has wronged.  CI New York proudly worked with the Eastern District of New York, the FBI and Nassau County DA’s office to ensure that Santos faces the consequences of his years of deception,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.

“George Santos spent his brief career in public service conning his donors and constituents until the deceit caught up to him, and he was exposed as an opportunist and a fraud. This lengthy prison sentence is a just ending for a weaver of lies who believed he was above the law,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly. “Being elected to represent any community is accepting a solemn responsibility and a position of great trust. George Santos failed the people he was elected to represent in Nassau County and Queens.  He broke that trust and traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle. I will continue to work with my partners to root out public corruption and ensure that the crucial standards to which we hold our elected officials and public institutions are upheld.” 

Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Durham, right, listens as Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly speaks during a news conference after former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for fraud and identity theft, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

The counts to which Santos pled guilty relate to the following criminal scheme, as outlined in the superseding indictment:

The Party Program Scheme

During the 2022 election cycle, Santos was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s Third Congressional District.  Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty to related conduct on Oct. 5, 2023, was the treasurer for his principal congressional campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress.  During this election cycle, Santos and Marks devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers to mislead the FEC, a national party committee and the public.

The purpose of the scheme was to ensure that Santos and his campaign qualified for a program administered by the national party committee to provide financial and logistical support to Santos’s campaign.  To qualify for the program, Santos had to demonstrate, among other things, that his congressional campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter.

To create the public appearance that his campaign had met that financial benchmark and was otherwise financially viable, Santos and Marks agreed to falsely report to the FEC that at least 11 of their family members had made significant financial contributions to the campaign.  In fact, Santos and Marks both knew that these individuals had neither made the reported contributions nor given authorization for their personal information to be included in such false public reports. 

In addition, Santos and Marks knew that the national party committee relied on FEC fundraising data to evaluate candidates’ eligibility for the program and agreed to falsely report to the FEC that Santos had loaned the campaign significant sums of money when, in fact, Santos had not made the reported loans and, at the time the loans were reported, did not have the funds necessary to make such loans.  These falsely reported loans included one for $500,000 when Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts.

Through the execution of this scheme, Santos and Marks ensured that Santos met the necessary financial benchmarks to qualify for the program administered by the national party committee.  As a result of qualifying for the program, the congressional campaign received significant financial support.

Leave a Comment

Related Articles ‘Route Boys’ gang leader sentenced to 22 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses April 30 | Brooklyn Eagle Staff Queens politician says Adams mischaracterized chat about bringing ICE to Rikers April 29 | Jacob Kaye Queens man indicted for alleged $7M deed fraud theft April 29 | Brooklyn Eagle Staff First accuser takes the witness stand at Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo retrial April 29 | Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press