Latest news with #FederalBureauOfPrisons
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former US congressman George Santos reports to prison
Disgraced former US Representative George Santos has reported to a federal prison in New Jersey to begin serving a seven-year sentence for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the New York Republican was in custody on Friday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey. Santos pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. His lawyer Joe Murray, when asked for comment on Friday, responded with a brief, all-caps text: "FREE GEORGE SANTOS." The ever-online Santos, who turned 37 on Tuesday, hosted a farewell party for himself on X on Thursday night. Well, darlings…The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most my supporters: You made this wild… — George Santos (@MrSantosNY) July 24, 2025 "Well, darlings … The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed," he wrote in a post afterwards. "From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried … most days." Santos will serve his time in a minimum security camp at the all-male facility, which also includes a larger medium security prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP. But he served for less than a year and became just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. During his winning campaign, Santos painted himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms when, in reality, he was struggling financially. He also falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he never attended and referred to himself as "a proud American Jew" before insisting he meant that he was "Jew-ish" because his Brazilian mother's family had a Jewish background. The cascade of lies eventually led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how Santos funded his campaign and, ultimately, his political downfall. Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has been making a living hosting a podcast called "Pants on Fire with George Santos" and hawking personalised video messages on Cameo. He has also been holding out hope that his unwavering support for President Donald Trump might help him win a last-minute reprieve. The White House said this week that it "will not comment on the existence or non-existence" of any clemency request. In media appearances this month, the former lawmaker wasn't shy about sharing his morbid fears about life behind bars. "I'm not trying to be overdramatic here. I'm just being honest with you. I look at this as practically a death sentence," Santos told Tucker Carlson during an interview. "I'm not built for this." On social media, his recent musings have sometimes taken a dark turn. "I'm heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I'm not suicidal. I'm not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I'm in there," Santos said on X. "If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie … full stop."
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos reports to NJ federal prison to serve 7-year fraud sentence
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos reported to a federal prison in New Jersey on Friday to begin serving a seven-year sentence for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the New York Republican was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey. Santos pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. Lawyers for Santos didn't respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. The ever-online Santos, who turned 37 years old on Tuesday, hosted a farewell party for himself on the social media platform X on Thursday night. 'Well, darlings … The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote in a post afterwards. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried … most days.' In a Thursday interview with Al Arabiya, a Saudi state-owned news organization, Santos said he'll serve his sentence in a minimum-security prison 'camp' that he described as a 'big upgrade' from the medium-security lockup he was initially assigned to. In April, a federal judge declined to give Santos a lighter two-year sentence that he sought, saying she was unconvinced he was truly remorseful. In the weeks before his sentencing, Santos said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his crimes, but he also complained frequently that he was a victim of a political witch hunt and prosecutorial overreach. Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP. But he served for less than a year and became just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. During his winning campaign, Santos painted himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms when, in reality, he was struggling financially. He also falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he never attended and referred to himself as 'a proud American Jew' before insisting he meant that he was 'Jew-ish' because his Brazilian mother's family had a Jewish background. The cascade of lies eventually led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how Santos funded his campaign and, ultimately, his political downfall. Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has been making a living hosting a podcast called 'Pants on Fire with George Santos' and hawking personalized video messages on Cameo. He has also been holding out hope that his unwavering support for President Donald Trump might help him win a last-minute reprieve. The White House said this week that it 'will not comment on the existence or nonexistence' of any clemency request. In media appearances this month, the former lawmaker wasn't shy about sharing his morbid fears about life behind bars. 'I'm not trying to be overdramatic here. I'm just being honest with you. I look at this as practically a death sentence,' Santos told Tucker Carlson during an interview. 'I'm not built for this.' On social media, his recent musings have sometimes taken a dark turn. 'I'm heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I'm not suicidal. I'm not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I'm in there,' Santos said on X. 'If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie … full stop.'
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos reports to NJ federal prison to serve 7-year fraud sentence
Congressional newsFacebookTweetLink Follow Disgraced former Rep. George Santos reported to a federal prison in New Jersey on Friday to begin serving a seven-year sentence for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the New York Republican was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey. Santos pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. Lawyers for Santos didn't respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. The ever-online Santos, who turned 37 years old on Tuesday, hosted a farewell party for himself on the social media platform X on Thursday night. 'Well, darlings … The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote in a post afterwards. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried … most days.' In a Thursday interview with Al Arabiya, a Saudi state-owned news organization, Santos said he'll serve his sentence in a minimum-security prison 'camp' that he described as a 'big upgrade' from the medium-security lockup he was initially assigned to. In April, a federal judge declined to give Santos a lighter two-year sentence that he sought, saying she was unconvinced he was truly remorseful. In the weeks before his sentencing, Santos said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his crimes, but he also complained frequently that he was a victim of a political witch hunt and prosecutorial overreach. Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP. But he served for less than a year and became just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. During his winning campaign, Santos painted himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms when, in reality, he was struggling financially. He also falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he never attended and referred to himself as 'a proud American Jew' before insisting he meant that he was 'Jew-ish' because his Brazilian mother's family had a Jewish background. The cascade of lies eventually led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how Santos funded his campaign and, ultimately, his political downfall. Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has been making a living hosting a podcast called 'Pants on Fire with George Santos' and hawking personalized video messages on Cameo. He has also been holding out hope that his unwavering support for President Donald Trump might help him win a last-minute reprieve. The White House said this week that it 'will not comment on the existence or nonexistence' of any clemency request. In media appearances this month, the former lawmaker wasn't shy about sharing his morbid fears about life behind bars. 'I'm not trying to be overdramatic here. I'm just being honest with you. I look at this as practically a death sentence,' Santos told Tucker Carlson during an interview. 'I'm not built for this.' On social media, his recent musings have sometimes taken a dark turn. 'I'm heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I'm not suicidal. I'm not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I'm in there,' Santos said on X. 'If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie … full stop.'
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
George Santos surrenders to New Jersey prison for 7-year sentence
George Santos, the disgraced former congressman from New York, surrendered himself to a federal prison on Friday to start serving his more than seven-year sentence for fraud. Santos reported to the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey. The ex-Republican congressman from Long Island was sentenced in April to 87 months in prison and he was ordered to report by 2 p.m. on July 25. He was also ordered to pay $373,949.97 in fines and restitution. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not disclose where convicts will serve their sentences before they start. The bureau says locations are determined based on the level of supervision, medical or programming needs, security measures and proximity to a person's residence. Prior to his sentencing, Santos told his followers he planned to request solitary confinement in prison. The former congressman pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and identity theft charges for exaggerating or lying about parts of his backstory to defraud voters and donors in New York's 3rd Congressional District. Federal prosecutors said in their sentencing memo that he "made a mockery of our election system" and used a "wholly fictitious biography to enrich himself and capture one of the highest offices." His offenses ranged from getting a vendor to forge a Baruch College diploma to presenting false financial disclosures to Congress claiming he was a multi-millionaire. He was also accused of faking donations in the names of relatives, creating a fake nonprofit to solicit donations and running a credit card fraud scheme to steal from elderly and cognitively impaired donors. Santos then spent those donations on luxury items from Hermès and Ferragamo, Botox, a rent payment and other accommodations in Atlantic City and the Hamptons, according to campaign files, bank records and other documents released by the House Ethics Committee. "From the moment he declared his candidacy for congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John Durham said after the sentencing. "He did this by targeting specific supporters and constituents. He saw them as easy marks and he made them victims of his fraud." The U.S. Department of Justice wanted Santos to serve the maximum 87 months in prison, while his lawyers sought just 24 months. Santos had asked the judge for leniency and read a statement in court, admitting that he betrayed his supporters and the institutions he was sworn to serve. After the sentencing, he posted a lengthy statement on X, which read in part, "I believe that 7 years is an over the top politically influenced sentence and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I'm more than the mistakes I've made. Respectfully, George Santos." The White House said this week it "will not comment on the existence or nonexistence" of any clemency request. Santos, 37, helped the GOP secure the House in the 2022 midterm elections. But before he was sworn into office, his lies started to unravel. The first charges were filed against him in May 2023, with more to follow that October. The House Ethics Committee then released a scathing 56-page report detailing the extent of his misconduct. Santos was removed from Congress weeks later, becoming just the sixth House member to be expelled in the nation's history. Mark Prussin contributed to this report.
Washington Post
24-06-2025
- Washington Post
Suspected accomplice in Palm Springs bombing dies in custody, officials say
A man charged with helping bomb a fertility clinic in Southern California last month has died in federal custody in Los Angeles, prison officials said Tuesday. Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center about 7:30 a.m., the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. Employees 'initiated life-saving measures' and requested emergency medical services, the bureau said.
