‘Where is your remorse?’: Judge blasts sobbing George Santos with 7-year sentence

Disgraced former U.S. Representative George Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on April 25, 2025, for his fraudulent actions. The sentencing took place in a Long Island courthouse, where Santos appeared emotional as U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert announced the decision. Judge Seybert criticized Santos for not showing enough remorse and questioned whether he truly regretted his actions.

As reported by ABC and NBC, the judge described his behavior as constantly shifting blame onto others instead of taking responsibility for what he had done. She asked him, “Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?”

Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of more than seven years, arguing that Santos had not demonstrated real regret for his actions. They pointed to his recent social media posts, where he claimed to be a victim of unfair prosecution, as proof that he still refused to accept responsibility.

Disgraced former U.S. Representative George Santos sentenced to 7 years

On the other hand, Santos’s lawyers requested a two-year sentence, saying that this matched the minimum required punishment for aggravated identity theft. They also compared his case to those of other politicians convicted of similar financial crimes, such as former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.

Santos, who is 36 years old, admitted guilt in August 2024 to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. These charges were related to dishonest behavior during his 2022 campaign for Congress. He confessed to tricking donors, improperly using campaign money, and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including some of his own relatives, to help fund his campaign. As part of a plea agreement, he agreed to pay around $580,000 in fines in addition to serving prison time.

Santos’ short time in politics came to an abrupt end in December 2023 when members of the House of Representatives voted to remove him from office. This happened after it was revealed that he had lied extensively about his personal background and finances.

Originally elected as a Republican representing parts of Queens and Long Island, Santos had invented a false life story, claiming he had a successful business career and high-profile jobs, none of which were true. These discoveries led to both criminal and congressional investigations into how he funded his campaign.

In the end, the judge sentenced Santos to 87 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release and a requirement to pay over $373,000 in restitution. This was the harshest penalty he could have received. He was told to report to prison by July 25.