Trump Commutes George Santos’s Sentence, Prompting Immediate Release

Overview

• Santos left the federal facility in Fairton, New Jersey, within hours of the announcement, his lawyer Joseph Murray confirmed to news agencies.
• He had been serving a roughly seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, reporting to prison on July 25.
• Trump said he acted because Santos spent long periods in solitary confinement and was 'terribly mistreated,' according to his Truth Social post.
• A commutation reduces or ends a sentence without erasing the conviction, and officials did not specify what financial or other penalties may remain.
• Santos was expelled from the House in December 2023 after fabricating major parts of his biography and later admitted to defrauding donors and using stolen identities.