Enjoy the lockup... it's gonna be fabulous. Former congressman George Santos expected to plead guilty to charges related to campaign fraud Monday https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/santos-expected-plead-guilty-campaign-fraud/
George Santos, the disgraced ex-G.O.P. congressman, pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud and faces prison time. While Santos’s plea will allow him to avoid a trial on a total of nearly two dozen charges, it all but ensures he will face at least two years in prison. Mr. Santos, a former Republican congressman from New York, agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in restitution and will almost certainly face prison time. Monday, August 19, 2024 3:57 PM ET https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/nyregion/george-santos-guilty-plea-court.html
Mandatory prison was key to George Santos deal, US prosecutor says https://www.yahoo.com/news/mandatory-prison-key-george-santos-100327934.html NEW YORK (Reuters) - George Santos' willingness to spend a minimum two years in prison was a critical part of his agreement to plead guilty to fraud and identity theft, the federal prosecutor who charged the scandal-plagued former U.S. congressman said on Tuesday. Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for Long Island and the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, told Reuters in an interview that the deal under which Santos pleaded guilty on Monday came together recently. The Republican former Queens and Long Island representative was charged in May 2023 with fabricating fundraising figures, and was later expelled from Congress. He first came into the public eye when it was reported that he had fabricated wide swaths of his biography during his congressional campaign. Santos, 36, faces up to 22 years behind bars when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert on Feb. 7. He has agreed not to appeal any sentence of around eight years or less, and the aggravated identity theft charge to which he pleaded guilty carries a mandatory two-year sentence. "Whenever you have corruption in politics or public service, it does erode confidence in our government institutions," Peace said in his downtown Brooklyn office a day after Santos pleaded guilty. "It's important that he be punished, and part of that, we think, is having to serve some time in prison." Peace said it was too early to say what sentence prosecutors would recommend. Even though Santos only pleaded guilty to two counts, he admitted wrongdoing in each of the 23 counts he initially faced, which Seybert can take into account at sentencing. Santos' lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. Peace said Santos' conviction demonstrated his office's commitment to prosecuting corrupt public officials, though he acknowledged that recent Supreme Court rulings in bribery cases would narrow the scope of conduct that can be charged as corruption. Santos was not accused of bribery. In June, the justices ruled 6-3 that it was not against federal bribery law for state and local officials to accept gratuities as tokens of appreciation after an official act. In a separate case last year, the court limited the circumstances in which someone not serving in government can be charged with honest services fraud. "While these decisions may make charging public corruption cases or fraud cases, frankly, a bit more challenging, a bit more difficult, they won't deter us," Peace said. FINANCIAL CRIME, DRUG TRAFFICKING Peace who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden to his role in 2021, is coming off a string of trial wins. Brooklyn juries this summer convicted an academic on charges of acting as an illegal Chinese agent, found a former Mozambican finance minister guilty on conspiracy charges related to bribes, and convicted a media startup founder on charges of lying to investors about his company's finances. "We're a magnet for all types of criminal activity," Peace said, noting that his 8 million-person district is one of the country's most diverse. "So we have to take action." Peace, 52, is now gearing up for a likely prosecution of alleged Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. Zambada was arrested last month and faces drug trafficking charges in several states. Prosecutors in Texas - where he is now being held - last week asked a judge to move him to Brooklyn to face charges there first. The request is pending. Peace declined to discuss the Department of Justice's deliberations that could see Zambada sent to Brooklyn. He noted both Zambada's fellow Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and former Mexican security minister Genaro Garcia Luna were convicted on drug-related charges in Brooklyn. "That record demonstrates that we can successfully handle cases of this magnitude," Peace said.
Look who is back in the news... "Another fake hate crime" - Netizens react as George Santos admits staging video of being hit with coffee at Times Square https://www.soapcentral.com/human-i...-admits-staging-video-hit-coffee-times-square
I am pretty sure that CNN will hire George Santos to have his own show. You know, the way they hired Eliot Spitzer to have his own show, right when Spitzer was one of the most loathed people in America. Yep. George Santos may be just the person to boost CNN's ratings.
Let's catch up with the Santos saga. You know he isn't going to pay anyone back for his crimes with the money he earns... it's just a scam to stay out of prison. George Santos asks to delay fraud sentencing to make money for reparations https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...elay-fraud-sentencing-make-money-reparations/ Santos is slated to receive his sentence on the two charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Feb. 7, but he claimed in a Tuesday filing that he doesn’t have the money to pay the amount. Santos’s podcast Pants on Fire has a “promising revenue stream” but will need at least until August to earn the needed profit due to “technical and logistical impediments,” according to the filing. “Mr. Santos now has a viable path to making meaningful progress in satisfying his obligations, requiring only additional time for the quarterly compensation structure to generate sufficient funds,” the filing read. These fines include a $373,749 restitution payment for stealing credit card information toward a campaign finance fraud plot and a forfeiture payment of $205,002. In addition to the fines, Santos is facing a minimum of two years in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Pants on Fire began after Santos pleaded guilty in August. The podcast describes itself as a “weekly gossip show that serves up a mix of candor and comedy as George sits down with guests from politics, pop culture, and beyond.” There are more than 100 episodes on Spotify and X, including the four most recent episodes on YouTube that were shared about three weeks ago. While his episodes on X receive tens of thousands of views, on YouTube, he has just over 60 subscribers. Production company York and Wilder is behind the podcast. The Washington Examiner reached out to the company for comment. Since December 2023, shortly after he was ousted from Congress, Santos has sold personalized videos on Cameo for about $100 each. Prosecutors in the case allege that he has made $400,000 since joining the platform. They also say a documentary that was released around the same time he joined the platform made him another $400,000. The plea agreement follows two others from Santos’s office: Nancy Marks and Sam Miele. Marks, formerly his treasurer, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the former congressman to commit wire fraud and identity theft, among other charges, in 2023. Miele, formerly his fundraiser, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
Porky Georgie is trying to avoid 87 months in the pokey. George Santos Sucks Up to Trump in Desperate Ploy to Avoid Prison https://www.thedailybeast.com/george-santos-sucks-up-to-trump-in-desperate-ploy-to-avoid-prison/