Even when he was lying, there was a certain charm to his unshakable confidence, his self-effacing humor, his transgressive glee.
But George Santos is facing his sentencing on Friday with little of his former flair.
“Right now, my expectation is I’m going to prison for 87 months,” he said flatly when reached by phone on Wednesday. “I’m totally resigned.”
Gone was the pugnacious rhetoric and quick wit that became part of his mystique as he lied his way to Congress, his deceits leading to criminal fraud and a guilty plea. Instead, Mr. Santos was disconsolate and bitter.
“I came to this world alone. I will deal with it alone, and I will go out alone,” he said.
Mr. Santos pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted to an array of other frauds and deceits. He acknowledged that he lied to Congress, fraudulently collected unemployment and swindled campaign donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York have asked that Mr. Santos be sentenced to 87 months to reflect the “seriousness of his unparalleled crimes.” Lawyers for Mr. Santos asked for a two-year sentence, the minimum allowed for aggravated identity theft, followed by probation.
As part of his plea, Mr. Santos admitted responsibility in court and vowed to make restitution in the amount of $373,749.97. He appeared outside the courtroom afterward, telling reporters that he took full responsibility for his actions, which were “unethical and guilty.”
