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George Santos, who was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, departs after the sentencing in his criminal corruption charges at Central Islip Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., on April 25, 2025. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Former congressman George Santos expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump for commuting his seven-year prison sentence and said he plans to devote his second chance to reforming U.S. prisons.
The former New York legislator was released from prison on Oct. 17 after serving less than three months for wire fraud and identity theft. His release came just hours after Trump announced a sentence commutation for him that day.
In an interview with Fox News that aired Oct. 19, Santos said he has no immediate plans to run for Congress but did not rule out a return. The 37-year-old said he spoke to Trump after his release.
“When I spoke to President Trump yesterday, I told him my commitment would be to prison reform,” Santos said.
The former lawmaker noted that he wants to help those “drowned with this arbitrary sentencing style of judges who were trying to circumvent the First Step Act,” legislation. Trump signed the act into law during his first term in 2018, aiming to reform the federal prison system and reduce recidivism among prisoners.
In a statement posted on social media, Santos stated that his goal is to reform the justice system into one “that truly believes in rehabilitation and second chances.”
Santos also told Fox News that he understands some may view his commutation as an escape from punishment for his offenses, but added that he isn’t getting away with anything and has much to prove with his second chance.
“I understand people want to make this into a ‘he’s getting away with it’. I’m not getting away with it. I was the first person to ever go to federal prison for this type of civil FEC [federal election commission] violation. These are usually solved in penalties,” he said.
“And I don’t want to focus on trying to rehash the past, and want to take the experience and do good and move on with the future. Repentance is an understatement; it’s like I have been dealt a second chance.”
Santos said he had no further restitution or probation following his release.
In an Oct. 17 post announcing his clemency for Santos, Trump said the former legislator had been held in solitary confinement for too long and “by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated.”
“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our country who aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “Therefore, I just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY.”
Santos, who represented New York’s Third Congressional District, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to fraud and identity theft after inflating fundraising figures and falsifying donor names during the 2022 election cycle to qualify for funding and logistical support from the Republican National Committee. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert had sentenced Santos to 87 months in jail and ordered him to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution. His former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, was sentenced to three years of probation.
