NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced former congressman George Santos has asked a New York judge to delay his sentencing on federal fraud charges until the summer so he can pay more than half a million dollars in fines by making more episodes of his podcast recently released. “Pants on fire.”
But prosecutors, in their response Tuesday, dismissed the New York Republican’s promises of financial aid as “extremely speculative” and derided the show’s title as a “tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed.”
They also cast doubt on his claim to have just over $1,000 in liquid assets, arguing that sentencing would be handed down as scheduled on February 7.
Prosecutors say Santos, 36, has earned more than $400,000 cameo appearancesthe video-sharing website, and another $400,000 from a new documentary since he was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2023. Santos was just the sixth House member in the chamber’s history to be expelled by his colleagues.
His earnings, prosecutors said, are in addition to the roughly $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary he received during his 11 months on Capitol Hill.
“Your letter does not provide any explanation of your current financial situation; “he offers no explanation for his dissipation of assets (including personal expenses) in the months since his guilty plea,” prosecutors wrote.
Santos’ attorneys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.
Elected in 2022, Santos was a rising Republican star for flipping a wealthy New York district that covered parts of Queens and Long Island.
But his life story unraveled even before he took office, when his claims of a career at top Wall Street firms and having a college degree were debunked amid questions about how he financed his campaign.
In August, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting that he misled voters, misled donors and stole the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his own family members, to donate to his campaign.
At the time, Santos blamed ambition for clouding his judgment and said he was “flooded with deep regret.” He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years on the identity theft charge and a maximum of 22 years in prison.
As part of a deal negotiated with prosecutors, Santos agreed to pay nearly $580,000 in fines, including nearly $375,000 in restitution and $205,000 in forfeiture.
But on Friday, his lawyers asked the judge to postpone sentencing until August, noting that he must pay the forfeiture 30 days before his hearing date.
They said the weekly podcast he announced shortly after pleading guilty represents a “promising revenue stream” but, due to “technical and logistical impediments,” it was not launched until December 15.
“Mr. Santos now has a viable path to making significant progress in meeting his obligations, requiring only additional time for the quarterly compensation structure to generate sufficient funds,” his attorneys wrote.
However, prosecutors responded that Santos’ request does not provide details about the company’s expected financial returns.
They said his compensation, based on a probation department report, will likely consist of 50% of net profits, to be paid within 90 days of the end of each calendar quarter, an arrangement that is “highly unlikely to occur.” give Santos enough money to satisfy his restitution and forfeiture obligations by August.”
Prosecutors also warned that granting the delay would “create a perverse incentive structure,” in which defendants who capitalized on their “notoriety and criminality” would be rewarded.
“Put another way, allowing Santos to avoid sentencing specifically to monetize his infamy would send a message to the public that crime pays,” they wrote.
