Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos seeks to delay fraud sentencing to make more podcast episodes
Associated PressNEW YORK — Disgraced former congressman George Santos has asked a New York judge to delay his sentencing on federal fraud charges until the summer so he can pay off more than half a million dollars in fines by making more episodes of his recently launched podcast “Pants on Fire.” But prosecutors, in their response Tuesday, dismissed the New York Republican’s promises of a financial boon as “extremely speculative” and derided the program’s title as a “tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed.” They also cast doubt on his claim of having little more than $1,000 in liquid assets as they argued for the sentencing to proceed as scheduled on Feb. 7. They said the weekly podcast he announced shortly after pleading guilty represents a “promising revenue stream,” but, due to “technical and logistical impediments,” wasn’t launched until Dec. 15. They said his compensation, based on a report from the probation department, will likely consist of 50% of net profits, to be paid within 90 days of the end of each calendar quarter — an arrangement that’s “highly unlikely to net Santos enough money to satisfy his restitution and forfeiture obligations by August.” Prosecutors also cautioned that granting the delay would “create a perverse incentive structure,” in which defendants who capitalized on their “notoriety and criminality” were rewarded. “Put differently, allowing Santos to stave off sentencing specifically to monetize his infamy would send a message to the public that crime pays,” they wrote.