Son of Brazilians served a sentence of 7 years and 3 months in the USA for deceiving donors and using false identities in his campaign
The President of the United States, (Republican Party), announced this Friday (17.Oct.2025) that it granted a pardon to former deputy George Santos, son of Brazilians. Santos had been in prison since July for fraud, identity theft, money laundering and making false statements to the US Electoral Court.
“George spent long periods in solitary confinement and by all accounts was terribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life.”wrote Trump in a publication on the network
On Monday (Oct 13), Santos published an open letter to Trump in the newspaper reiterating his request for a pardon. In the text, titled “A Passionate Plea to President Trump”the former congressman wrote: “I humbly ask that you consider the pain and unusual hardships of this environment and grant me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends and my community.”
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
Santos went to federal prison on July 25, 2025 andm Fairton, no State of Nova Jersey. Before that, a message: “I may be leaving the stage (for now), but believe me, legends never truly leave.”
Even after the sentence, Santos remained active on social media. The week passed until the day of his arrest.
Santos was elected to the US Congress in 2022, but early in his term there were allegations that he had falsified information about his academic training and professional experience.
In May 2023, he was formally accused of 13 crimes, including campaign fundraising fraud and false financial statements.
In December 2023, he became the first US representative to be expelled from the House in more than 20 years. In total, he faced 23 federal criminal charges.
FRAUD SCHEME
The criminal scheme of congressman George Santos and Nancy Marks – the congressman’s former treasurer – involved obtaining electoral financing from the FEC (Federal Electoral Commission). To be eligible for the system, the candidate must have at least US$250,000 in taxpayer donations.
Santos recorded that 11 family members had contributed to his campaign. In addition to not donating money, these relatives did not authorize the use of their identities in the FEC system.
According to the Department of Justice, another crime committed by George Santos was lying about a US$500,000 campaign loan. The former congressman actually didn’t even have $8,000 in his account at the time he recorded that amount.
“By executing this plan, Santos and Marks ensured that Santos met the necessary financial criteria to qualify for the program administered by the party’s national committee. As a result of qualifying for the program, the campaign for Congress received significant financial support”said the US department.
In addition to taxpayer identity theft, Santos also laundered money. The scheme involved a shell company that received $50,000 in donations from 2 supporters, who believed the money would be used to finance the candidate’s campaign.
When the money was deposited into the company’s account, Santos transferred it to his account and used the amount for personal expenses.
