U.S. Congressman George Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for less than a year

Shameful of the former U.S. Congressman who lied about his life story and deceived his donors, he was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday, crying when he heard the punishment.

Santos, who pleaded guilty to federal telegraph fraud and aggravated identity theft last summer, called for mercy and told the court through tears that he was “humble”, “reproached” and realized that he had betrayed the trust of his constituents.

“I apologize for my deepest, I can't rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead,” he said.

U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert apparently failed to convince. “Where is your remorse? Where do I see?” she asked when she sentenced him to fall behind 87 months. She said the former politician seemed to feel “it was always someone else's fault.”

The New York Republican served in Congress for less than a year and his House colleagues ousted him in 2023. He admitted to cheating donors and stealing nearly a dozen people, including his family, to fund his victory campaign.

As part of the plea agreement, Santos agreed to pay a fine of approximately $580,000 in addition to prison time.

The 36-year-old walked into Long Island Court without responding to a reporter's yelling question, but told the Associated Press on Thursday that he resigned.

“I'm doing anyone's work and anyone will do it,” Santos wrote in a text message Thursday, adding that he was “ready to face the music.”

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Prosecutors argued in recent court documents that despite his claim, he “still not possess guilt” and did not show real remorse. They listed recent comments from Santos on social media, who regarded himself as a victim of prosecutors’ excessiveness.

Santos' lawyers have called for two years in prison, a mandatory minimum sentence for serious identity theft. They believe such fines are comparable to those of other politicians convicted of similar financial crimes.

Santos was elected in 2022, flipped a wealthy area representing part of Queens and Long Island.

Soon after, it was revealed that political unknown fabricated most of his life story, portraying himself as a successful business owner who worked for a well-known Wall Street company and possessed a valuable real estate portfolio.

In fact, Santos struggled financially and even faced eviction.

These revelations led to Congress and criminal enquiry on how he funded the campaign.

Santos posted several social media posts Thursday, including the last plugin for his cameo account, where he recorded personalized video messages for $100.

“Think about any celebration or event that will be held later this year,” Santos wrote.