NEW YORK – Disgraced former Rep. George Santos is seeking a delay to his February sentencing so that he can keep making new episodes of his podcast, “Pants on Fire with George Santos.”
Back in August, Santos, 36, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He owes the government $578,752.92 as per his plea deal. That includes $373,749.97 in restitution and $205,002.97 in forfeiture. He is expected to go to prison for at least two years when he is sentenced, although the judge previously said the estimated sentencing range was between 6-8 years.
In a letter to a judge last Friday, Santos’ attorneys say their client is required to pay more than $200,000 in forfeiture money 30 days before he is sentenced. They say that, through his podcast, 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.”
They asked the judge to delay his sentencing from Feb. 7 to a Friday in August.
Santos’ attorneys said the podcast was initially meant to launch in September, but since it didn’t actually get off the ground until December, they’d like more time to record more episodes.
Delay “would send a message that crime pays,” prosecutors say
Prosecutors responded to the request for a delay in sentencing by saying his claims of needing more time for the podcast to get off the ground “are facially speculative, and, in any event, entirely insufficient to warrant such a lengthy adjournment.”
“His request should for delay should be denied, and sentencing should proceed as scheduled,” they wrote. “A delay to allow Santos to develop his podcast — the title of which is a tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed — is presumptively unreasonable.”
Prosecutors went on to say that Santos has already earned more than $400,000 from Cameo appearances and $400,000 for participating in a documentary. All of this is in addition to his $174,000 salary as a congressman. They took issue with a claim he made that he had less than $1,000 in liquid assets.
“Allowing Santos to stave off sentencing specifically to monetize his infamy would send a message that crime pays,” prosecutors wrote. “Delaying sentencing to give him further time to grow his podcast listenership would enable Santos to further use his criminal prosecution for personal benefit.”
