George Santos Gets President Trump Commutation, Released from Jail

By Maureen Daly

Fraudster ex-Congressman George Santos received a "Commutation" from President Donald Trump, and was released from federal prison on Friday, after serving only 87 days out of a seven year prison sentence. Trump also waived Santos' restitution to his crime victims.

Santos has been described as a "20-year international crime wave," and has a criminal record in both Brazil and America.

This newspaper - The North Shore Leader - was the first newspaper to break the story and expose Santos' frauds - before the November 2022 elections - detailing Santos' lies, campaign frauds, and false financial filings, calling him a "fraud" and a "fabulist."

After Santos was elected, the New York Times built upon the Leader's breaking stories, with a deep dive into Santos' frauds and crimes.

Santos served 11 months in Congress, before being expelled by a vote of 311 to 114 - more than the 2/3 vote required to expel a member of Congress - on December 1, 2023.  He was only the seventh person expelled from the US House of Representatives. 

Santos later pled "Guilty" to two counts of Identity Theft and federal Wire Fraud - and admitted to two dozen other crimes in a crying tearful plea before federal Judge Johanna Seybert.

Santos was admitted to prison in August 2025 but kept up a public relations campaign lobbying for a pardon from President Trump and crying about the "horrible conditions" in his minimum security federal prison.

According to Washington, DC sources, Trump was approached by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who pleaded Santos' case for a pardon.

Trump declined to issue a pardon, but commuted Santos seven-year sentence to "time-served" - 87 days - and waived Santos' mandatory restitution to the crime victims whom he had defrauded.

In support of his commutation, Trump stated that Santos had been "treated horribly" by the federal prison service, and that "At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!"

"I disagree with the commutation" stated US Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY1), who had voted for Santos' expulsion from Congress. "He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged."

Santos reveled in the fact that Trump waived his obligation to make restitution and re-pay the people from whom he had stolen and defrauded.

“If [restitution] is required of me by the law, yes," stated Santos. "If it’s not, then no. 

Santos, who remains a convicted felon, was returned to his family Friday night, but one must wonder how his victims feel.