George Santos, awaiting sentencing, says he wants solitary confinement for his safety
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is due to be sentenced Friday in Long Island federal court, said he would ask to serve prison time in solitary confinement because he fears for his safety.
Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
“I take full responsibility for bad actions I've made, and I regret that,” Santos said Thursday night on “The Matt Gaetz Show.” “I don't know what would be fair, but I know seven years [in prison] is pretty out there, in my opinion.” The disgraced ex-congressmember from New York said it would be his last interview prior to his scheduled appearance in front of Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip on Friday morning. Santos, who represented parts of Long Island and Queens before being ousted from Congress in December 2023, pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of wire fraud and identity theft. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York said earlier this month that they were seeking a prison sentence of more than seven years for Santos as a way to “protect the public” from being cheated by him again. “Santos’ conduct has made a mockery of our election system,” they wrote in a filing. “From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’ unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives.” Santos told former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, also a Republican, that prosecutors were trying to “drop an anchor” on his head by requesting so much prison time. In his own court filings, he asked the court for two years, the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft. “I am allowed to make an application for protective custody because of who I am,” Santos said Thursday. Santos was formally expelled from Congress after a House ethics committee found “substantial evidence” of misconduct and illegal activity. In pleading guilty to the charges, he conceded he had deceived political donors and stolen the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his relatives. Santos has also agreed to pay about $580,000 in penalties as part of his plea deal. Santos told the New York Times in a recent interview that he was “totally resigned” to the possibility of spending 87 months in prison. On social media, he has been counting down the days until his sentencing. “Soon,” he tweeted early Friday, along with a praying-hands emoji. Santos said Thursday that he had not directly asked President Donald Trump for a pardon, even though Trump has pardoned some other politicians in similar circumstances. “I do hope that hopefully he takes a look at me too,” Santos said.
