Disgraced former US representative Jorge Santos was released from federal prison Friday night after President donald trump commuted his long sentence for fraud and identity theft.
His legal team has asked for privacy and has reported how he endured a “traumatic experience” during the three months he was behind bars.
After Donald Trump told George Santos to “have a great life,” some criticized the move, saying it’s “not justice” that the lying politician is serving only a few months of his long sentence.
George Santos’ lawyer demands privacy for him
George Santos was released from prison just three months after he began serving his 87-month sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The 37-year-old politician has Donald Trump to thank for his freedom, as the president announced in a social media post on Friday that he had signed his commutation.
The move has prompted the former congressman’s legal team to request privacy for the client, saying he is “decompressing” from the “traumatic experience” of spending time in solitary confinement, according to the New York Post.
“Now is not a good time, I just got here, I’m meeting him and we just want to let him relax a little bit,” Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, said in a telephone conversation when asked about his client’s whereabouts.
“He was released last night. Let’s respect his privacy and that of his family and let them relax a little. It’s a traumatic experience as you can imagine,” Murray added before hanging up the call.
George Santos’ lawyer thanks Donald Trump and calls him the ‘best president’ in history
CNP/MEGA
Santos was sentenced in April by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert after pleading guilty to charges for which he had been investigated in August 2024.
Findings revealed that he lied about graduating from Baruch College, nor was he a standout player on the Manhattan College volleyball team as he claimed.
As part of the sentence, Santos was ordered to pay $373,749.97 in restitution to his victims, but due to the terms of his commutation, he no longer needs to do so.
The order, signed by the president on Friday, ensured his immediate release from FCI Fairton, a medium-security prison in Fairfield Township, New Jersey, where he had been held.
“God bless President Donald J. Trump, the greatest president in American history!” Murray wrote in a note published on Santos’ X (former Twitter) account.
Donald Trump tells George Santos to have a “great life”
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Trump defended his decision to commute Santos’ prison sentence, saying his crime does not deserve the punishment.
“George Santos was something of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our country who are not forced to serve seven years in prison,” the president posted on his social media platform.
He continued: “At least Santos had the courage, conviction and intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICANS!”
The billionaire politician then announced that he had “just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”
“Good luck George, have a great life!” Trump added.
Donald Trump’s decision to pardon the disgraced former representative sparked negative reactions from Republicans
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Since Trump’s shocking move, critics have argued that the commutation undermines the judicial process, particularly given Santos’ admission of guilt for defrauding donors and lying to Congress.
Republican Andrew Garbarino, who sits on the House Ethics Committee, said it is “not justice” that he was pardoned in such a way that he only served three months of his sentence for his crimes.
Republican Nick LaLota, who represents a swing district in New York, also expressed similar sentiments about Trump’s move, emphasizing the seriousness of Santos’ crimes.
LaLota stated that Santos “did not limit himself to lying: he stole millions and defrauded an election.”
Letter from George Santos to Donald Trump, begging for his freedom
Rod Lamkey / CNP / MEGA
The release follows a public appeal from Santos just days earlier, where he posted a letter to President Trump asking for clemency and a chance to “return to my family, my friends, and my community.”
In the letter, he described living conditions inside the penitentiary as “unlike anything most Americans could ever understand.”
“Today, I respectfully, earnestly, and directly ask for your understanding and compassion,” he continued, describing himself as a “lifelong Republican and a proud believer in his vision of America First” who “never wavered” when it came to supporting the president.
He then explained that since August he had been living in “complete isolation within the Special Housing Unit” of the prison due to a death threat he faced.
Aaron Schwartz – Pool via CNP/MEGA
“Life at SHU is unlike anything most Americans can understand,” Santos said. “I am locked inside a small steel cage twenty-four hours a day. My only contact with the outside world is a brief phone call to my family, once every thirty days.”
He admitted he knew he had made mistakes and said he took “full responsibility for my actions.”
“But no man, no matter his flaws, deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and invisible, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires,” he wrote.
“Mr. President, I have no one to turn to,” the former congressman wrote. “With the deepest respect and gratitude, I thank you for taking the time to listen to my request.”