Former New York Congressman George Santos reports to prison

Ryan Tarinelli, CQ-Roll Call on Jul 25, 2025

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Former Rep. George Santos surrendered to a federal prison in New Jersey on Friday to start an approximately seven-year sentence, after pleading guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Santos, who previously held a New York congressional seat as a Republican, started his prison term at FCI Fairton in New Jersey, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

His plea came after federal prosecutors had charged Santos with various schemes, including one that accused him of inflating his campaign’s fundraising numbers to receive financial support from the national party. Santos had been facing 23 charges.

Santos, who catapulted himself to a New York congressional seat with falsities in his background, was expelled from the House in 2023. The move ended Santos’ short congressional tenure, one in which the Long Island lawmaker faced ethics and criminal allegations. While in office, a drip-drop of new accusations fed a firestorm of attention around him.

The rolling scandal on Capitol Hill also spilled into pop culture, and Santos has appeared to capitalize on that fame during his time out of office with media appearances and a podcast, “Pants On Fire With George Santos.”

Before reporting to prison, Santos appeared to use his last hours to post on social media.

“The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote in a social media post Thursday. “From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.”

“I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit,” he wrote.

Earlier this year, Judge Joanna Seybert of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York agreed with the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation and handed down an 87-month sentence for Santos.