Former New York congressman George Santos, son of a Brazilian, was officially released from prison following President Donald Trump’s decision to commute his sentence. Santos now talks about his gratitude to the president, his renewed faith and his plans for the future.
While serving his sentence, Santos said he spent 41 days in solitary confinement, a period in which he claims to have been deprived of a Bible and a rosary, but in which he claims to have reconnected with God through prayer.
“I have a lot to prove to a lot of people, and I need to make sure President Trump understands that I will not let him down,” said Santos, calling his release a “second chance,” in an interview with the program Fox & Friends Weekend.
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Santos was serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in New Jersey. The former congressman admitted to having invented significant parts of his biography and CV and was expelled from Congress in 2023, amid investigations into his criminal conduct.
Trump’s pardon of George Santos
“George Santos was, in some ways, an ‘outlaw,’ but there are many others like that in our country who are not required to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote. “George was in solitary confinement for long periods of time and was reportedly horribly mistreated. Therefore, I have just signed the commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”
Trump wrote in Truth Social that he considered the sentence too long. The president announced the commutation on Friday (17), ordering Santos’ immediate release from federal prison.
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Santos said that, the day before his release, he experienced an intensely spiritual moment.
“As soon as I entered prison, I discovered that there was a Catholic priest who came every Thursday. I started attending masses,” he said.
He said that after he began attending mass, he ended up being placed in solitary confinement. “I connected with God, I reconnected with myself, I started to pray in a very deep way,” he said about his time in prison.
Santos reported that he interpreted the moment of his release as a divine sign, as it happened just one day after this spiritual episode.
As soon as he left confinement, he stated that he went to mass, confessed and received the Eucharist. The following day, he received news that he would be released.
In addition to highlighting his renewed faith, Santos declared that he intends to dedicate his second chance to reforming the prison system. “When I spoke to President Trump yesterday, I told him that my commitment would be to prison reform,” he said.
