George Santos is lamenting the stark contrast between his former lavish lifestyle and his current reality behind bars.
The disgraced former congressman says his “dignity has been violated” in prison, particularly when it comes to the state-issued polyester jumpsuit he is required to wear.
George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in jail after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August last year.
George Santos Opens Up About Prison Life
George Santos has made headlines with his weekly jailhouse diary, in which he details the harsh conditions of his confinement at a federal prison in New Jersey, emphasizing how his “dignity has been violated.”
In his diary, “My Life Behind Bars,” Santos complains about his duties in the prison kitchen as well as the “fluorescent yellow … state-issued polyester” jumpsuits he and other inmates must wear.
“I went from standing at the pinnacle of power and prestige, attending galas, navigating multimillion-dollar fundraisers in glittering Manhattan apartments and Long Island mansions, to the rock bottom of federal confinement,” Santos wrote in the diary, according to the New York Post.
The Former Politician Was Sentenced For Wire Fraud And Identity Theft
Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023 and is currently serving a 7-year sentence at the medium-security FCI Fairton prison in Fairfield Township.
The 37-year-old former drag performer pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud for deceiving donors to fund his congressional campaign.
Authorities said he falsely claimed to have $250,000 in donations to qualify for the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” program. Prosecutors also alleged that he exploited elderly donors and charged debit cards without authorization for personal expenses, including Botox treatments, OnlyFans subscriptions, trips to Atlantic City casinos, and French fashion purchases.
George Santos Says He Has ‘Encountered’ Different ‘Characters’ In Prison
In his diary entries, Santos described the variety of personalities he has encountered in prison.
“From day one, I’ve encountered characters who could populate a novel. Within hours of my arrival, a man walked right up to me, no hesitation, and said, ‘You’re the congressman, but you can call me the senator,'” he recalled. “That was my welcoming committee.”
The Former Drag Queen Hopes To ‘Prove’ This Is Not His ‘Final Chapter’
In prison, Santos has formed a close bond with his former campaign fundraiser, Sam Miele. Miele received a one-year-and-one-day sentence for impersonating a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign funds for Santos. Santos reflected on the impact of his downfall:
“Sam is a very smart guy who got caught up in the hurricane of my very public unraveling, and seeing him here reminded me just how many lives were altered when my world collapsed,” he wrote, according to the New York Post.
Despite his circumstances, Santos is determined to look forward. “Today, instead of discussing campaign strategy in penthouses and estate living rooms, we find ourselves reflecting on the past while lying on prison bunks,” he noted. “We talk openly about our so-called ‘fall from grace,’ but we also talk about rebuilding, about the future, about proving that this is not our final chapter.”
Donald Trump Remains Mute About A Possible Pardon For George Santos
Santos has claimed he has privately approached President Donald Trump for a pardon, though Trump has expressed no knowledge of any such discussions.
“He lied like hell, I have to tell you. And I didn’t know him, but he was 100% for Trump. I might have met him, maybe, maybe not, I don’t know,” Trump told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty.
On Santos’s sentence, which he described as “a long time,” Trump added, “Nobody has talked” to him about potential clemency. “But he was a congressman, and his vote was solid; it sounds like a lot. You know, you could blame the other side for not checking him out,” Trump continued.
“You could say the media misses. Everybody missed it. They found out about it after the election was won,” he concluded.
