Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., walked out of a federal prison in New Jersey late Friday night after President Donald Trump commuted his seven-year sentence, ending his incarceration after fewer than three months served for fraud.
Joseph Murray, one of Santos' lawyers, told The Associated Press late Friday that the former lawmaker was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, around 11 p.m. ET, and was greeted outside the facility by his family.
Trump announced the commutation of Santos' sentence and ordered his immediate release, telling the disgraced lawmaker to "have a great life."
"George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post announcing the commuted sentence.
"George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!"
The commutation spares Santos, 37, from serving the remainder of his 87-month sentence and wipes away more than $370,000 in court-ordered restitution. The decision adds Santos to a growing list of political allies and MAGA figures granted clemency by Trump.
Santos' release comes less than three months after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His expulsion from Congress in 2023 followed an ethics probe and a sweeping federal indictment.
While the commutation came as a surprise to Congress and Americans, Trump said the unchecked "fraud" of Sen. Richard Blumental, D-Conn., led to his suddent decision.
"I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard 'Da Nang Dick' Blumenthal came up again," Trump wrote in his Truth. "As everyone remembers, 'Da Nang' stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face.
"He was 'a Great Hero," he would leak to any and all who would listen — And then it happened! He was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL FRAUD.
"He never went to Vietnam, he never saw Vietnam, he never experienced the Battles there, or anywhere else. His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP.
"This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!"
Santos reported to FCI Fairton on July 25 and was housed in a minimum security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.
Santos' account on X, which has been active throughout his roughly 84 days in prison, reposted a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post Friday.
During his time behind bars, Santos has been writing regular dispatches in a local newspaper on Long Island, in which he mainly complained about the prison conditions.
In his latest letter, though, he pleaded to Trump directly, citing his fealty to the president's agenda and to the Republican Party.
"Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity — the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you," he wrote in The South Shore Press on Oct. 13. "I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community."
Santos' commutation is Trump's latest high-profile act of clemency for former Republican politicians since retaking the White House in January.
In late May, he pardoned former Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., who in 2014 pleaded guilty to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. He also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two federal prison stints.
After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story.
On the campaign trail, Santos had claimed he was a successful business consultant with Wall Street cred and a sizable real estate portfolio. But when his resume came under scrutiny, Santos eventually admitted he had never graduated from Baruch College — or been a standout player on the Manhattan college's volleyball team, as he had claimed. He had never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
He was not Jewish. Santos insisted he meant he was "Jew-ish" because his mother's family had a Jewish background, even though he was raised Catholic.
In truth, the then-34-year-old was struggling financially and even faced eviction.
Santos was charged in 2023 with stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.
Within months, he was expelled from the House – with 105 Republicans joining with Democrats to make Santos just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues.
Santos pleaded guilty as he was set to stand trial.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., urged the White House to commute Santos' sentence, saying in a letter sent just days into his prison bid that the punishment was "a grave injustice" and a product of judicial overreach.
Greene was among those who cheered the announcement Friday. But Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., who represents part of Long Island and has been highly critical of Santos, said in a post on social media that Santos "didn't merely lie" and his crimes "warrant more than a three-month sentence."
"He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged," LaLota said.
Santos' clemency appears to clear not just his prison term, but also any "further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, or other conditions," according to a copy of Trump's order posted on X by Ed Martin, the Justice Department's pardon attorney.
As part of his guilty plea, Santos had agreed to pay restitution of $373,750 and forfeiture of $205,003.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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