Remember George Santos, the US politician who was caught out making up most of his biography before being elected to the US Congress?
Facing massive court fines, and a potential jail sentence, Santos is asking the judge in charge of his case to give him more time to make money from his new podcast before handing down his sentence.
In 2022 Santos became the first member of the Republican party, who had publicly shared that they were gay before being elected, to become a congressman.
Within weeks of his election however journalist delved into his past and discovered he’d made up major details about his past employment history and education.
Santos also was accused of falsely linking himself to major events including the terrorist attacks on 9-11 and the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Then it was discovered that he’d been misusing funds raised for his election campaign.
In late 2023 his colleagues expelled his from the chamber, and he was found guilty by a court of felony offences for identity theft and wire fraud. Santos is facing up to 22 years behind bars for his offences and and the court has already stipulated that he will also be required to pay nearly USD$375,000 in restitution to victims and forfeit an additional USD$205,000.
His sentencing was scheduled for mid-February and Santos recently asked if it could be delayed to August 2025 so he could have time to make more money via a recently launched podcast titled Pants on Fire with George Santos.
The judge has baulked at the proposal, and prosecutors argued that the claim that his podcast would be a viable revenue stream for Santos were purely speculative. The judge has ordered the former politician to report for sentencing in April.
