Judge agrees to delay George Santos' sentencing in federal fraud case
Disgraced former Congressman George Santos' sentencing in his New York federal fraud trial has been delayed two months.
A federal judge on Long Island agreed Wednesday to delay the sentencing, which had initially been scheduled for Feb. 7 following Santos' guilty plea last year to federal fraud charges.
Calling it a “one-time courtesy,” the judge granted Santos' request to push his sentencing -- but not by as much as the former New York representative requested.
The sentencing hearing is now set for April 25.
Santos had asked for an August sentencing to give him time to make money off of his podcast so he can satisfy his restitution and forfeiture.
Santos pleaded guilty in August to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea, he agreed to pay about $600,000 in forfeiture and restitution.
Santos said he needed an extra six months to come up with the money and asked the court to trust that his weekly podcast, "Pants on Fire with George Santos," will eventually generate enough revenue to satisfy his obligations.
"Mr. Santos now has a viable path to making meaningful progress on satisfying his obligations," his lawyers stated in a motion, citing the launch of his new podcast.
Prosecutors argued against a delay, stating in a filed response that "the numerous victims of Santos's criminal schemes, and the community writ large have a strong collective interest in the expeditious resolution of this case."
They also questioned why he cannot pay when, they said, Santos generated substantial revenue streams through other means in the past year -- including $400,000 from his participation in a documentary and more than $400,000 from Cameo -- according to the government's filing.
Santos must pay restitution of nearly $374,000 and forfeiture of more than $200,000 under the terms of his plea deal.
He also faces a sentence of 75-87 months, including a mandatory minimum two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
