CNN
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Disgraced former Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for aggravated identity theft and wire fraud charges stemming from fraudulent activity during his 2022 midterm campaign.
The judge ruled he must surrender by July 25.
Santos was sobbing in the courtroom on Friday and said he “betrayed the confidence entrusted in me” while giving a brief statement to the judge.
“I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead, I have tried my best,” Santos said.
The sentencing marks a downfall for the former New York Republican congressman who pleaded guilty in August. At the time, he was also ordered to pay restitution of $373,000 as part of an agreement.
The Justice Department sought a more than seven-year prison sentence for Santos, while he asked the court for the minimum sentence of two years.
Santos, who represented parts of Long Island and Queens during his brief and scandal-plagued tenure in Congress, was expelled from the House in late 2023 after the House Ethics Committee released a report of additional “uncharged and unlawful conduct” by Santos.
Beyond the report, he had sparked shock and controversy on Capitol Hill over revelations that he fabricated large parts of his life story and was also facing nearly two dozen federal charges, including allegations of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports.
The embattled former lawmaker survived previous attempts to remove him from office and originally pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2023.
He attempted to run in another New York district as an independent last year before ending his congressional bid after roughly a month and later pleaded guilty just weeks before the ex-congressman was set to stand trial on the federal charges.
This story has been updated with additional details.
