George Santos, the gay former New York congressman who built a political brand on spectacle and lies, is now asking a federal judge to look past his recent online behavior as he faces the possibility of more than seven years in prison.
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In a personal letter filed with the court Monday, Santos admitted his guilt and claimed to express remorse, but he also resisted the Justice Department’s use of his social media posts as evidence of defiance and unrepentance. “True remorse isn’t mute,” Santos wrote in the three-page letter to U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert. “It is aware of itself, and it speaks up when the penalty scale jumps into the absurd.”
Relaterd: George Santos wins sentencing delay in fraud case, but less than he asked for
That “penalty scale” refers to the 87-month sentence sought by federal prosecutors, who filed a scathing letter last week arguing that Santos’s behavior—including posts accusing the DOJ of being a “cabal of pedophiles” and calling himself a “scapegoat”—undermines his claims of accountability. Prosecutors said Santos has “reverted to form,” showing “a strong risk of recidivism and a lack of remorse.”
But Santos, in his own words and through his legal team, insisted the posts are constitutionally protected speech reacting to the harshness of the government’s sentencing recommendation, not a repudiation of his August 2024 guilty plea to 23 federal felony counts.
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His defense attorneys argued in their Monday motion that Santos has consistently accepted responsibility and is being unfairly penalized for venting online. They submitted the letter as part of a request to formally respond to the government’s latest filing and to correct what they call “fundamentally inaccurate” claims.
In the letter, Santos said the consequences of his conduct—public humiliation, financial collapse, and the obliteration of his reputation—have already reshaped his life. But he also clarified that he would stand alone when sentenced.
“I’m sure the Court noticed that I did not include a single character letter in support in my sentencing memorandum,” he wrote. “Nor will I have a single person at my sentencing, aside from the media, eager to watch me get shipped off to prison.”
Santos said he is “too embarrassed, too ashamed” to ask anyone to stand by him publicly despite the support of a small circle of people in his personal life. “I don’t want to bring anyone else in my life into this mess,” he wrote. “This is mine to deal with and mine alone.”
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Santos did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment.
Since being expelled from Congress in December 2023—the sixth lawmaker ever removed from the House—Santos has built a post-scandal brand by embracing notoriety. He launched a podcast, returned to Cameo, and revived his drag persona, Kitara Ravache. In April 2024, he began selling videos in character as Kitara, which drew headlines given his past denials about performing in drag.
Prosecutors have said this media blitz reflects Santos’s ongoing effort to “monetize his infamy” and evade accountability. But Santos argues that commentary about his sentencing is fair game—and that tweeting “they will never break my spirit” isn’t the same as denying guilt.
He also disputed the government’s portrayal of him as a mastermind, pointing to his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty to related charges. “Calling out selective blame-shifting is not a renunciation of my guilt,” he wrote. “It’s a demand for fair and proportional accountability.”
Related: Prosecutors seek 7-year prison sentence for George Santos in sweeping fraud case
Santos urged the court to weigh the actual impact of his crimes, pointing out that several public figures convicted of more expansive fraud schemes received far lighter sentences than the 87 months proposed in his case. He cited former Jesse Jackson Jr., who, in 2013, received 30 months for misusing $750,000 in campaign funds, and GOP fundraiser Kelley Rogers, sentenced to 36 months for multimillion-dollar PAC fraud.
Santos wrote that while he accepts guilt and the need for consequences, he will not remain silent in the face of what he considers prosecutorial overreach.
“My guilty plea didn’t require me to check my First Amendment rights at the courthouse door,” he wrote. “That freedom is the keel that keeps our republic steady when political seas get rough.”
Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday in Central Islip, New York.
