FILE – Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., waits for the start of a session in the House chamber in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he has commuted the prison sentence of ex-congressman George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.“I just signed a commutation releasing George Santos from prison, immediately,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “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,” he added.Santos, a Republican from New York, admitted last year that he deceived donors and stole the identities of 11 people — including members of his own family — to make fraudulent campaign donations. He began serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, on July 25, and had been housed in a minimum-security camp with fewer than 50 inmates.Following the announcement, Andrew Mancilla, one of Santos’s attorneys, welcomed the decision, calling it “the right thing to do.””Very, very happy with the decision. The defence team applauds President Trump for doing the right thing. The sentence was far too long,” Mancilla told The Associated Press.However, the timing of the 37-year-old’s release remains unclear.The move comes just days after Santos sent a handwritten letter from prison appealing directly to Trump for clemency. “Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity — the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” he wrote. “I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”Who is George Santos?The son of Brazilian immigrants, Santos made history in 2022 as the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress. However, his political career quickly collapsed after investigations revealed that he had fabricated much of his personal and professional background. In 2023, he was charged with stealing from donors, misusing campaign funds, collecting unemployment benefits fraudulently, and lying to Congress about his finances. He was expelled from the US House of Representatives later that year — only the sixth member in history to be ousted by colleagues.
