HOUSTON, United States

A federal judge on Friday sentenced former US Rep. George Santos to more than seven years in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in an ignominious end to the accused “pathological liar and fraudster,” according to media reports.

Santos, a disgraced former congressman from the state of New York, was charged in May 2023, but refused to quit his seat due to backing by many House Republicans. After a tumultuous year serving in office, and facing mounting allegation, Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives, becoming the first member of Congress since the US Civil War to be removed from the House without a conviction.

Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024 to two felony charges and acknowledged that he used his campaign fundraising apparatus for personal gain.

Santos confessed to submitting false reports to the Federal Election Commission during his congressional run. He also admitted to stealing the personal identity and financial information of elderly and cognitively impaired campaign donors, then fraudulently charged their credit cards to make unauthorized contributions to his campaign.

In addition, Santos admitted to persuading donors to contribute money to a company that he claimed was a social welfare organization or political action committee, then used the money to stay at five-star hotels, buy designer apparel, pay off his credit card debts, and gift himself thousands of dollars in cash.

During court proceedings, prosecutors called Santos a "pathological liar and fraudster."