Northeast
Ex-lawmaker George Santos faces 7-year prison sentence for federal fraud, identity theft
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos could face more than seven years in prison if New York prosecutors get their way.
Santos, 36, who became just the sixth House member to be expelled from the chamber and the first Republican, pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges in August as part of a plea deal after having been indicted on felony charges.
The former lawmaker stole from political donors, used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses, lied to Congress about his wealth and collected unemployment benefits while actually working.
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip, N.Y., on Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
GEORGE SANTOS ENDS CONGRESSIONAL RUN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS INTO INDEPENDENT CAMPAIGN
“No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit,” Santos posted on X Friday in the wake of a court filing by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Santos has already agreed to serve a minimum of two years in prison and was expected to be sentenced in February but asked the court to postpone sentencing until he can make enough money from his podcast to pay the nearly $600,000 he owes in restitution and forfeiture.
Prosecutors alleged he had raked in around $800,000 from appearances on the Cameo app, with previous reports suggesting he was charging $350 a pop for videos featuring his drag alter ego Kitara Ravache. Santos previously denied ever dressing as a drag queen or associating with drag queens.
Prosecutors argued in the filing Friday that Santos warrants a significant sentence because his “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the country’s election system.
“From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,” the office wrote.
Prosecutors alleged Santos had raked in around $800,000 from appearances on the Cameo app as his former cross-dressing persona. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/X @MrSantosNY)
EX-LAWMAKER GEORGE SANTOS OFFERING CAMEO VIDEOS WITH HIS DRAG QUEEN ALTER EGO
They wrote that he had been unrepentant for years and blasted investigations into his crimes as a “witch hunt.”
They also 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.
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.
Santos’ legal team asked for a two-year sentence in a Friday court filing. His lawyer, Andrew Mancilla, said prosecutors were selling a false narrative to the court.
“The government wants headlines, not justice. This vindictive 87-month demand ignores sentencing norms for similar cases,” Mancilla said.
The freshman lawmaker was expelled a year into his first term in the House in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee report that found he misused campaign funds on luxury items and OnlyFans, among other things. He had not been convicted of a crime at the time.
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos could face more than seven years in prison if New York prosecutors get their way. (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During his campaign, Santos claimed that he attended New York University, that he had worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War Two. None of those claims were true.
Santos was once touted as a rising political star after he flipped the suburban district that covers the affluent North Shore of Long Island and a slice of the New York City borough of Queens in 2022.
Last year he failed in an attempt to relaunch his political career by running as an Independent in a neighboring district to re-enter the House.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Anders Hagstrom as well as The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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UNION, New Jersey (WABC) — A 20-year-old man is charged with the deadly mass shooting that caused chaos at a Chick-fil-A in New Jersey.
Jaheed Fields of Newark is facing several charges including murder and attempted murder.
On April 11, Fields opened fire inside the Chick-fil-A on Route 22 in Union. A 23-year-old man was killed and six others were hurt. Customers inside the restaurant went scrambling for the exits.
So far, no motive for the shooting has been revealed.
Witnesses say they heard at least seven shots piercing into the crowd.
Longtime customers said they were shaken by the violence.
“That’s what’s terrifying, being a father or a parent, you have to always be vigilant and keep your head on a swivel and make sure that you’re paying attention to your surroundings and try to avoid getting yourself into a situation and unfortunately coming to a Chick-fil-A at dinner time is apparently a situation you may have to avoid now a days,” customer Christopher Devido said.
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Pennsylvania
Could a gas tax holiday be imposed in Pennsylvania as prices at the pump continue to rise?
PENNSYLVANIA (WJAC) — Discussion continues about potentially suspending the Pennsylvania gas tax, one of the highest state gas taxes in the country, as prices at the pump continue to jump.
Lawmakers in both chambers are considering a gas tax holiday that would remove Pennsylvania’s gas tax for a limited period. The Senate proposal would last 60 days, while the House version would run for six months. Supporters say the move would provide needed help for people across the state, while opponents argue it is not sustainable.
The proposals would save drivers about 57 cents per gallon on gasoline and about 75 cents per gallon on diesel from the state gas tax.
Representatives of the Democratic senator Lisa Boscola, who proposed the Senate bill and is from the Lehigh area, said they will continue pushing the measure they believe is needed by families around the state and are optimistic it will pass.
In the House, the effort is mostly being pushed by Republicans, though local Republican Rep. Jim Rigby said he does not support it because it is “not a real solution.”
Democratic Rep. Paul Takac agrees, saying state police and PennDOT road work are funded through the gas tax, and that suspending it would essentially defund both, and they would have to find money to fill those voids. Takac added that he has not heard any serious intention to move the bill forward.
Democratic Rep. Frank Burns said he believes that if the proposal came to a vote, a gas tax holiday would pass with bipartisan support and would provide at least a small break to struggling families.
The debate continues as gas prices continue rising, with another jump in the last week.
Chief economist Gbenga Ajilore of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says prices are unlikely to fall soon.
“It seems like gas prices are going to go up, and even if there’s some sort of resolution in say the next couple weeks, it’s going to be difficult to see prices go down anytime soon,” Ajilore said.
The Senate is back in session on Monday and for the next few days after that, but not again until June. If the gas tax holiday is going to move forward anytime soon, that is when it would likely happen.
In the House, the proposal would need to clear the Democratic-led Transportation Committee before it could go to a vote.
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