In sentencing memos, feds advocate for 7+ years in prison while George Santos’ team urges statutory minimum of 2 years

In this post last August, I asked “what sentence for former US Rep George Santos after his plea to fraud and identity theft?”. US District Judge Joanna Seybert is scheduled to provide the official answer to this question at George Santos’ scheduled federal sentencing on April 25, 2025.  And yesterday the parties filed their sentencing memoranda, and the AP provides this accounting of the filings:

Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the country’s election system….

Prosecutors also argued that Santos had been “unrepentant and defiant” for years, dismissing the prosecution as a “witch hunt” and refusing to resign from Congress as his web of lies was debunked. They said his claims of remorse after pleading guilty “ring hollow” and suggested he has a “high likelihood of reoffending” given he has not forfeited any of his ill-gotten gains or repaid any of his victims….

In their own sentencing memo Friday, they rejected the notion that Santos will fall back into criminal behavior, noting he has no prior criminal record and also provides “crucial” support to his sister and her young daughter.

They argued for a two-year prison term, which is the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft. The lawyers maintain such a sentence is in line with those handed to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other political figures facing similar financial crimes.

They also touted Santos’ cooperation in a separate federal investigation into a Texas man who tried to dupe Santos out of nearly $1 million by posing as a political fixer offering to destroy evidence in his cases. “This sentence, coupled with the significant collateral consequences Mr. Santos has already suffered—including the loss of his congressional seat and public humiliation — would send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated,” the lawyers wrote.

The filed memoranda from the parties make for interesting reads. In many cases, the defense sentencing filing is much longer than the the filing by the prosecution. But, as one can discover from the links below, the feds here had a whole lot more to say:

Prosecutors’ sentencing letter in United States v. Devolder Santos

Defendant’s Sentencing Memorandum in United States v. Santos