George Santos, the former New York Congressman who was expelled from Congress last December, has been given a slight delay in his sentencing for a fraud case—but not as much time as he had hoped for.
Santos, who pled guilty last year to wire fraud and identity theft, had asked a federal judge to move his sentencing date from February 7 to August. Why? He wanted extra time to make money through his podcast, Pants on Fire With George Santos. According to his lawyers, the podcast’s ad revenue would help him pay off a hefty $205,002.97 forfeiture judgment, which is required to be paid 30 days before his sentencing. He also owes another $373,749.97 in restitution.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert decided to grant Santos some extra time but only until April 25. In her decision, the judge wrote that the short delay was a “one-time courtesy” and was granted because it served “the ends of justice.”
Federal prosecutors weren’t on board with Santos’s request for more time. They doubted his claims about needing podcast income to pay his debts and pointed out his other recent earnings. According to their court filing, Santos had made over $800,000 in the past year from various ventures—$400,000 from Cameo videos where he recorded personalized messages and another $400,000 from his involvement in a documentary.
Prosecutors questioned why Santos, despite earning so much money and previously having a $174,000 annual salary as a Congressman, claimed he only had about $1,000 left in liquid assets. They argued this didn’t make sense, especially since Santos had previously boasted in the media about earning $80,000 a day from his newfound notoriety.
Santos’s lawyers pushed back, insisting the prosecutors were wrong. They stated Santos didn’t earn $400,000 from a documentary or Cameo videos and that most of the money he did make went toward paying his legal fees.
Santos’s sentencing comes after a rocky end to his political career. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023 following a House Ethics Committee investigation. The investigation uncovered serious misconduct, including campaign finance violations and numerous lies about his personal and professional background. Now, he faces the possibility of spending up to six years in prison based on federal sentencing guidelines.
While Santos’s podcast title, Pants on Fire, might seem fitting given his past controversies, his future now hinges on a court’s judgment come April.