George Anthony Devolder Santos is an American politician and convicted felon whose brief time as a U.S. Representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district was overshadowed by a series of sensational fabrications about his life and subsequent federal criminal charges.

He was only the sixth member in the history of the House to be expelled by his colleagues.

Quick Rise and Immediate Scrutiny

Santos, the son of Brazilian immigrants, rose to national attention after winning his New York seat in the 2022 election, becoming one of the first openly LGBTQ Republicans elected to Congress as a freshman.

However, his political career quickly unravelled. Investigative reporting, starting just weeks after his victory, revealed that vast portions of his professional, educational, and personal biography were fabricated.

Major Fabrications and False Claims:

Employment: He falsely claimed to have worked at major financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
Education: He lied about having a college degree from Baruch College and New York University (NYU).
Family/Background: He falsely claimed his mother was in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks and that his maternal grandparents were Jewish Holocaust refugees who fled the Nazis.
Personal Wealth: His financial disclosures about his business activities and wealth were inconsistent and later shown to be false.

Santos eventually admitted to lying about his education and work history but claimed he was only “Jew-ish” due to his maternal family’s background, despite his grandparents being born in Brazil.

Criminal Charges and Expulsion from Congress

The controversy surrounding his background led to federal and local investigations into his finances and campaign activities.

Key Legal and Ethical Issues:

Federal Indictment: In May 2023, Santos was indicted on multiple federal charges. A revised indictment later in the year accused him of offences including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, theft of public funds (for fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits), and lying to Congress about his finances.
Misuse of Campaign Funds: The House Ethics Committee released a scathing report, concluding there was “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking and that Santos could not be trusted. The report alleged he misused campaign funds for personal expenses, including cosmetic procedures, luxury goods, and subscriptions to adult content platforms.
Guilty Plea and Sentence: In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, among other charges. He was later sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months (over seven years) in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution.
Expulsion: On December 1, 2023, the House of Representatives voted 311–114 to expel Santos, making him the sixth member ever to be ousted and the first in over 20 years.

Commutation and Current Status

Santos began serving his sentence in July 2025. However, his time in prison was brief.

On October 17, 2025, President Donald Trump commuted Santos’ sentence, ordering his immediate release from federal prison.

A commutation lessens a prison sentence but does not void the underlying criminal conviction. Trump justified the action by stating Santos had been “horribly mistreated” and, despite being a “rogue”, was less deserving of a long sentence than certain Democratic figures Trump criticised.

George Santos’s political and legal saga is widely viewed as a defining modern example of deception and lack of accountability in public life, culminating in a historic expulsion from Congress and a controversial commutation of his prison sentence.