BY: DM
Published 55 minutes ago
President Donald Trump has commuted the 87-month prison sentence of former New York congressman George Santos, allowing him to leave federal custody less than three months after starting his term.
Santos was sentenced in April to 87 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to CBS News. He began serving his sentence in July, but Trump’s commutation ended it early, making Santos a free man.
George Santos’ Sentence Was Commuted Because of His Loyalty to Trump
Trump announced the commutation on his Truth Social account on Oct. 17. He called Santos “somewhat of a ‘rogue,’” but said the former congressman had been “horribly mistreated.” “George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote. “George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”
According to the Associated Press, Santos left the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, around 11 p.m. that night, where his family greeted him outside the facility. His sentence was supposed to end around 2032, but the commutation set him free early. After his release, Santos issued a statement directly addressing his critics.
“I understand people want to make this into ‘He’s getting away with it.’ I’m not getting away with it, I was the first person to ever go to federal prison for a civil violation … I don’t want to focus on trying to rehash the past and want to take the experience and do good and move on with the future. Repentance is an understatement. I have been dealt a second chance,” Santos said, according to ABC News.
George Santos’ Crimes
According to CBS News, Santos’ legal troubles began with his 2022 campaign and early time in Congress representing a New York district. In May 2023, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York indicted him on multiple charges. These included wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements. In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to two counts — wire fraud and aggravated identity theft — as part of a plea deal in which he admitted to a broader fraud scheme.
The scheme involved deceiving campaign donors, misusing campaign contributions for personal expenses like luxury items and credit-card payments, and stealing the identities of elderly or cognitively impaired individuals to funnel funds. During sentencing, Judge Joanna Seybert described Santos as an “arrogant fraudster talking out of both sides of his mouth,” according to Politico.
President Trump’s commutation of Santos’ sentence followed his broader use of executive clemency. On Jan. 20, Trump issued a proclamation granting pardons and commutations for people linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol events. He also commuted sentences in white-collar cases involving Jean Pinkard and Jason Galanis. In Santos’ case, the commutation order removed his remaining prison term and reportedly canceled his restitution obligations, according to the AP.
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