U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene despatched a letter urging President Donald Trump to commute, or shorten, ex-Rep. George Santos’ jail sentence.
REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz, Shannon Stapleton
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has despatched a letter calling for President Donald Trump to commute disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos, who lately started his 87-month jail sentence for identification theft and wire fraud.
Within the letter despatched to the federal Workplace of the Pardon Legal professional on Monday, Aug. 4, Greene referred to as the size of Santos’ sentence “an abusive overreach by the judicial system.” She referred to as for a commuted sentence, which might shorten the size of time Santos must serve in jail.
“I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of law, and I understand the gravity of such actions,” Greene wrote within the letter. “However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.”
Santos was handed the longest sentence out there for his crimes, which the Justice Division pursued. His protection group sought a shorter sentence of two years in jail with two years of suspended launch.
Greene vouched for Santos and his character within the letter, saying he was keen and devoted to “serve the people of New York who elected him to office.”
“He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington D.C.,” Greene wrote within the letter. “He’s sincerely remorseful and has accepted full accountability for his actions.
She mentioned these sentiments of regret are additionally witnessed by Santos’ pastor, whom her workplace had spoken to.
A 7-year jail sentence for campaign-related prices is extreme, particularly when Members of Congress who’ve finished far worse… pic.twitter.com/Isj2mxlhsd
Trump made feedback this week acknowledging Santos’ help for him, saying he “lied like hell” however was “100% for Trump.”
Santos’ legal professional beforehand mentioned he was in search of a presidential pardon for his shopper, however Santos later mentioned he would now not search one.
The letter comes simply over per week after Santos surrendered himself to authorities to start his jail sentence on July 25. He’s in custody on the Federal Correctional Establishment Fairton in Fairton, N.J.
His seven-year punishment combines two consecutive sentences for the 2 counts he pleaded responsible to. He’s additionally required to pay $373,000 in restitution to his victims.
Santos, who represented New York’s third Congressional District on the North Shore of Nassau County and northeastern Queens, was elected in November 2022. He was expelled in December 2023 following Home Ethics investigations into allegations of his unethical and unlawful actions that started shortly following his election.
Earlier than being expelled from Congress, Santos was indicted in Might 2023 on 13 counts of wire fraud, cash laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to Congress.
In October 2023, he was handed a further 10 conspiracy prices to commit offenses towards america, wire fraud, mendacity to the Federal Election Fee, falsifying data, aggravated identification theft, and gadget fraud.
In August 2024, Santos pleaded responsible to 2 counts of wire fraud and identification theft. In trade for his responsible plea, the 21 different prices from his indictment had been dropped.
In courtroom, Santos admitted to falsifying marketing campaign fund numbers to fulfill Federal Election Fee benchmarks and get correct funding from the Republican Nationwide Committee — one thing his marketing campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded responsible to.
He admitted to making use of for unemployment advantages through the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of not being unemployed. He additionally admitted to doing this utilizing the names of family and friends members, which is the idea for the wire fraud and identification theft prices.
“George Santos has taken responsibility. He’s shown remorse,” Greene wrote on X. “It’s time to correct this injustice.”
