A former Republican lawmaker convicted of corruption leaves prison after Trump commutes his sentence policy

Former Republican Representative George Santos, who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for financial crimes, was released from prison hours after US President Donald Trump announced that his sentence would be commuted.

In a post on his network, Truth Social, on Friday, the US President wrote, “George was in solitary confinement for long periods and was subjected to very poor treatment.”

He added, “At least Santos had the courage and intelligence to always vote Republican. Therefore, I just signed the decision to commute his sentence and release Jorge Santos from prison, immediately.”

Santos left Fairton Federal Prison in New Jersey and is “on his way home,” attorney Joseph Murray said late Friday.

“God bless President Donald Trump, the greatest president in the history of the United States,” Murray wrote in a post on the X platform.

A presidential commutation differs from a pardon in that the original conviction remains the same while the sentence imposed is commuted.

The 37-year-old former congressman was accused of illegally using the identities and personal financial information of donors to his election campaign to steal money. He pleaded guilty and admitted in 2024 to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people – including members of his family – with the aim of profiting for his campaign.

He was sentenced last April. The execution of the sentence began in July.

Also, The New York Times exposed a series of lies in his CV and campaign letters, shortly after he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 to represent New York State.

Later, a House Ethics Committee report accused him of “seriously tarnishing the foundation’s reputation” by diverting donor funds and using them for luxury purchases, casinos, beauty treatments, and online payments.

Among the lies mentioned in his resume was his claim that he worked for Goldman Sachs, that he was Jewish, and that he was a volleyball star at the university.

In December 2023, Republican and Democratic lawmakers voted to expel him from the House of Representatives, one year after his election, making him only the third person to be subjected to such action in the United States since the Civil War, a procedure previously reserved for traitors and convicted criminals.