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Santos Faces Prison Term For Fraud, $374K In Restitution Payments

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George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman whose penchant for lying led to one of the oddest sideshows in modern politics, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted to an array of other frauds and deceits. The plea ensures that he will face at least two years in prison. Santos was a political underdog who catapulted to Congress less than two years ago and watched his career unravel as his seemingly endless series of falsehoods came to light, reports the New York Times. Congress expelled him year The Santos who appeared in court bore little resemblance to the shameless provocateur whose antics once grabbed headlines. His bravado was replaced by words of contrition for several scams involving money laundering, making false statements to Congress and fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits.


“I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he told the judge as he admitted to a scheme to

“artificially inflate” the number of contributions to his campaign to win support from the National Republican Congressional Committee. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Santos called his plea an effort to make amends for misrepresentations to supporters and the government, as well as “the lies I told myself over these past years ... I allowed my ambition to cloud my judgment, leading me to make decisions that were unethical and — guilty.” Mr. Santos’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 7, meaning he will not have to report to prison for at least six months. Guidelines call for him to serve between six and eight years in prison, though a judge could be more lenient. Santos agreed to pay $373,749.97 in restitution to a variety of entities.

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A daily report co-sponsored by Arizona State University, Criminal Justice Journalists, and the National Criminal Justice Association

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