He lost the conviction of former congressman George Santos in his New York federal fraud trial it is two months late.
A federal judge in Long Island agreed Wednesday to delay sentencing, originally scheduled for Feb. 7, after Santos pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges last year.
Calling it a “temporary courtesy,” the judge granted Santos’ request to delay his sentence, but not as much as the former New York representative had requested.
The sentencing hearing has now been set for April 25.
Santos asked for the August ruling to give him time to make money from his podcast to satisfy his restitution and forfeiture.
In this Jan. 12, 2023, file photo, Representative George Santos leaves the Capitol in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images, FILE
Santos pleaded guilty in August to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea, he agreed to pay about $600,000.
Santos said he needed six more months to come up with the money and asked the judge to be confident that his weekly podcast, “Pants on Fire with George Santos,” will eventually generate enough income to meet his obligations.
“Mr. Santos now has a viable path to make significant progress in meeting his obligations,” his lawyers said in a motion, citing the launch of his new podcast.
The prosecutor objected to the delay, stating in a response that “the numerous victims of Santos’ criminal plans and the community writ large have a strong collective interest in resolving this case quickly.”
They also questioned why he can’t pay, they said, when Santos generated substantial income through other means over the past year — including $400,000 from his role in a documentary and more than $400,000 from Cameo — according to government filings.
Santos must pay nearly $374,000 in restitution and more than $200,000 in forfeiture under the terms of his plea agreement.
He also faces a sentence of 75-87 months, including a two-year mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.
