George Santos after the lies, the expulsion, and the criminal case

The public memory of George Santos is mostly comic: fake résumé, fake origin story, constant revelations. The legal ending was much harder and more concrete. Santos was expelled from the House after an ethics report found evidence that he had used campaign money for personal expenses and participated in fraudulent fundraising. He later pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting to a scheme that included using donors' credit-card information and making false reports to the FEC. In April 2025, a federal judge sentenced him to 87 months in prison. What makes this a perfect follow-up story is the split between tone and outcome. The scandal felt absurd while it was unfolding, but the legal result was not absurd at all. It ended as a standard federal fraud case with prison time, restitution and political ruin.