President Donald Trump signed a commutation on Friday evening that released former Rep. George Santos from federal prison immediately, the White House said.
Santos, 37, was less than three months into serving an 87-month (seven-plus year) federal sentence after being convicted on charges including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The former lawmaker was released from prison just before 11 p.m. on Friday and was picked up by his family, according to a statement from his lawyer, Joe Murray, who said Santos “walked right out and hopped into their car and drove home.”
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!” — President Donald Trump (social media post)
The clemency grant, a photo of which was posted on X by U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, commuted Santos’ entire sentence to time served and removed fines, restitution, probation, supervised release or other conditions.
Background and conviction
Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024 to a series of fraud crimes that included admitting to falsifying campaign contributions, charging donor credit cards without authorization, and taking unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled. He was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in prison and two years of supervised release, and he was expelled from Congress in December 2023 after an ethics probe.
Political reaction
Several members of Congress and conservative allies lobbied for Santos’ release; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others publicly campaigned for clemency. Some Republicans praised Trump’s decision, while other New York Republican lawmakers and many Democrats criticized the commutation as unjust and inadequate accountability for Santos’ crimes.
What the commutation does (and does not) do
- The commutation reduces Santos’ sentence to time served and removes court-ordered fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, and other conditions, per the clemency document.
- The conviction remains on record; a commutation short-circuits the remaining prison time but does not vacate the conviction itself.
Legal and political observers say the commutation adds to a pattern of controversial clemency decisions that have drawn bipartisan criticism and renewed debate about pardons and commutations in the second Trump presidency.
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