(NewsNation) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to be sentenced in a New York federal court Friday after pleading guilty to defrauding donors and committing identity theft last summer.
The New York Republican has been convicted of federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, which could result in a sentence of up to 87 months.
Prosecutors hope to put Santos in federal prison for seven years.
“Santos planned and executed an assortment of fraudulent schemes and leveraged them and a fictitious life story to enrich himself and capture one of the highest offices in the government of the United States,” DOJ attorneys wrote, according to court documents.
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Santos is liable to pay roughly $580,000 in penalties as part of a previous plea deal.
Santos, who was ousted from Congress in 2023, has admitted to duping donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people to fund his campaign.
Soon after flipping New York’s 3rd Congressional District for the GOP in 2022, it was discovered that Santos had fabricated much of his backstory — including lies about owning businesses, holding jobs and buying real estate.
He told reporters earlier this week he’s resigned to whatever happens on Friday.
“I’m doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances,” Santos wrote in a text message to the Associated Press on Thursday. “I will be in court tomorrow, ready to face the music.”
