According to federal prosecutors, the disgraced former representative from the United States of America, George Santos, “remains unrepentant” despite the fact that he faces years in federal prison for fraud and identity theft. They cite a litany of his social media posts throughout the past few days.
According to a legal filing that was submitted on Thursday, the prosecution strengthened their arguments for a severe sentence by stating that the New York Republican, who is 36 years old, has referred to the United States Department of Justice as a “cabal of paedophiles” and has portrayed himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach in multiple posts that he has made on the social platform X.
“This conduct is antithetical to the ‘genuine remorse’ claimed by Santos’s attorneys,” prosecutors stated. “His actions speak louder than any words, and they cry out for a significant carceral sentence in this case.”
The bombardment on social media began on April 4, following the sentencing notes that prosecutors and Santos’ attorneys had filed to a judge for consideration during his sentencing on April 25 in federal court on Long Island.
“No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit,” Santos stated in one post.
He denied using campaign funds to purchase luxury items from Hermès in another X exchange, which prosecutors point out is behaviour that is expressly stated in court filings.
In their petition on Thursday, they submitted pictures of the social media posts and stated, “Even at this late stage, he simply refuses to fully own up to his actions.”
Santos is facing a seven-year prison sentence, according to the prosecution, who claim that his “unparalleled crimes” have “made a mockery” of the nation’s electoral system.
Additionally, they have indicated that he has a “high likelihood of reoffending” because he has not reimbursed any of the victims or forfeited any of his ill-gotten gains.
The mandatory minimum punishment for aggravated identity theft is two years in jail, which is what Santos’ attorneys have requested.
Santos has no past criminal history, according to the attorneys, and the punishment is comparable to those given to former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and other public persons who committed comparable financial crimes.
In August, Santos said that in order to raise money for his congressional campaign, he had mislead voters, lied to donors, and stolen the identities of around a dozen people, including members of his own family.
He consented to pay $205,000 in forfeiture and roughly $375,000 in restitution as part of the plea agreement.
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Santos was elected in 2022 to represent portions of Long Island and Queens, but he was removed by his fellow members of the House within a year, making it the sixth time in the history of the chamber.
When it was discovered that the once-rising Republican had made up a large portion of his life biography, it raised concerns about how the political unknown had financed his successful campaign and ultimately contributed to his political downfall.
Santos presented himself as a successful businessman with a rich real estate portfolio and jobs at prominent Wall Street firms, but in actuality, he was having financial difficulties and was even facing eviction.
