Santos
George Anthony Devolder Santos (born July 22, 1988) is an American former politician and convicted fraudster who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from January 3, 2023, until his expulsion from the House on December 1, 2023.[1][2][3] Elected as a Republican in the 2022 midterm elections after defeating Democrat Josh Weiner, Santos's brief congressional tenure was overshadowed by revelations of systematic deceptions about his educational credentials, professional experience at firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and personal background, including unsubstantiated claims of Jewish heritage and family ties to the Holocaust.[4][3] He admitted to some embellishments in late 2022 but maintained others as minor inaccuracies, prompting a House Ethics Committee investigation that uncovered evidence of campaign finance misconduct, such as unauthorized use of donor funds for personal expenses.[5] The committee's report, released in November 2023, substantiated patterns of dishonesty and financial improprieties that violated House rules, leading to his expulsion by a bipartisan vote of 311-114—the first such removal without a criminal conviction since the Civil War era.[3] Subsequently facing federal charges, Santos pleaded guilty on August 19, 2024, to two felonies: wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting to schemes involving fraudulent credit card charges, embezzlement from his campaign, and false reports to the Federal Election Commission.[4] On April 25, 2025, he was sentenced to 87 months in prison, restitution of over $373,000, and forfeiture of assets, though a subsequent presidential clemency order in October 2025 eliminated the financial penalties while leaving the incarceration intact.[5]People
George Santos
George Santos, born July 22, 1988, achieved a surprise victory in the 2022 U.S. House election for New York's 3rd congressional district, securing the Republican seat by defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman with 53.3% of the vote despite minimal prior elected experience and relying primarily on self-funding and national GOP support.[6] His campaign emphasized economic issues and opposition to Democratic policies, marking him as a freshman representative in the 118th Congress.[6] Santos faced expulsion from the House on December 1, 2023, by a 311-114 vote, becoming only the second member ousted without a criminal conviction in U.S. history, amid House Ethics Committee findings of campaign finance violations including unauthorized use of funds for personal expenses and fabrications about his educational and professional background.[6] These resume discrepancies, such as unsubstantiated claims of employment at Goldman Sachs and degrees from Baruch College, drew widespread attention, though similar exaggerations occur across political figures without equivalent consequences, suggesting selective enforcement influenced by partisan dynamics and media amplification from outlets exhibiting systemic left-leaning biases.[7] On August 19, 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to campaign donor contributions and unemployment benefit fraud, admitting to theft exceeding $24,000.[8] He received a sentence of 87 months in prison on April 25, 2025, plus over $578,000 in restitution and forfeiture, and began serving time in July 2025 at FCI Fairton.[5] President Donald Trump commuted the sentence on October 17, 2025, releasing Santos after 84 days served and nullifying remaining penalties, a move Santos described as addressing a disproportionate punishment for non-violent offenses compared to precedents in political fraud cases.[9] [10] Since his release, Santos has pivoted to prison reform advocacy, condemning the federal system for fostering recidivism through overly punitive measures on white-collar crimes and solitary confinement practices, while positioning himself as a mentor for at-risk youth to deter similar paths.[11] [12] He has contended that the intensity of investigations and media portrayals stemmed from political targeting by opponents, evidenced by the pre-conviction expulsion and contrasts with unprosecuted discrepancies among Democrats, rather than exceptional criminality.[7][13]Other notable people
- Juan Manuel Santos (born 31 July 1951) served as President of Colombia from 7 August 2010 to 7 August 2018, leading negotiations that culminated in a 2016 peace accord with the FARC guerrilla group, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize later that year.[14][15]
- Alberto Santos-Dumont (20 July 1873 – 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian inventor and aeronaut who developed early dirigibles, winning the 1901 Deutsch de la Meurthe prize for circling the Eiffel Tower, and achieved the first public powered heavier-than-air flight on 12 November 1906 with his 14-bis aircraft, covering 220 meters in 21.2 seconds at Bagatelle, Paris.[16][17]
- Santos Vega is a mythical Argentine gaucho and payador (folk minstrel) from 19th-century folklore, portrayed as an undefeated improvisational singer challenged and vanquished by the Devil in disguise, a legend adapted into poetry by Rafael Obligado in 1887 and later plays symbolizing the clash between traditional gaucho culture and modernity.[18]