George Santos says he wants to reform American prisons

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Former lawmaker George Santos (R-New York), who served 84 days in federal prison before receiving a presidential commutation on Friday, says he knows what he wants to do with his life now that he is no longer incarcerated.

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“There is nothing more that I want to do than to focus and dedicate my entire life to prison reform,” Santos said in an interview Saturday.

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Santos, who called his time in prison “humbling,” said the conditions at the prison he served time in – FCI Fairton, a federal correctional facility in New Jersey – were in “disarray.” He said he spent nearly half of his time in solitary confinement, an experience he called “dehumanizing” that informed his professed commitment to penal reform.

“There are a lot of people in prison, suffering. I’m not saying that people who have committed crimes deserve a tap on the head, but they also deserve humanity,” Santos said.

Elected to the House of Representatives in 2022, Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison in April after pleading guilty to identity theft and wire fraud. He was expelled from Congress following the release of a 56-page House Ethics Committee report that accused him of stealing money from his campaign, deceiving donors about how their contributions would be used, creating fictitious loans and engaging in fraudulent business dealings, among other misconduct.

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Beyond his legal troubles, Santos earned a reputation as a liar after fabricating details of his background, including two college degrees he did not earn. He made up a story about earning a volleyball scholarship at Baruch College in New York City. He falsely claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. And he made, then later recanted, claims of being a “proud American Jew” in a candidate’s survey, saying he “never claimed to be Jewish” but rather “Jew-ish.”

President Donald Trump, whom Santos has staunchly supported, issued a presidential commutation on Friday evening exempting him from the remainder of his sentence, all financial penalties and any need for probation.

The president claimed Santos “has been horribly mistreated” in a Truth Social post on Friday. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote. “Good luck George, have a great life!”

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According to Santos’s attorney, Joe Murray, the former lawmaker was transferred into solitary confinement because of a threat to his life that was later deemed not viable by the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons’ investigative unit.

While in solitary confinement, Murray said, Santos was unable to use the prison’s email system, had limited visitation and call privileges and, because he did not have access to the commissary, had to wear dirty undergarments from other inmates. Murray also alleged inmates in protective custody are subjected to the same conditions as those punished for violent behaviour.

“I was very grateful for the efforts to protect my client from potential threats but it was at the point where their method of ‘protecting’ him in the SHU was also hurting him physically and mentally,” Murray said.

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In the interview Saturday, Santos claimed he was denied an inhaler for 24 hours while in isolation and said he felt had been kept in solitary confinement longer than was necessary. He also claimed that during his kitchen assignment, he was instructed to serve food that had passed its “best by” date.

The Bureau of Prisons’ Office of Public Affairs said the bureau was unable to respond to a request for comment about its protective custody practices and the conditions at FCI Fairton because of the government shutdown.

Santos said he spoke to Trump on Saturday night and raised concerns about the prison’s conditions.

“When I spoke to President Trump earlier today on the phone, I was very clear that I want to be involved and help prison reform and help his administration achieve that in whichever way I can,” he said.

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Beyond working on prison reform, Santos said he has not ruled out a future run for office in New York, though he added that he doesn’t feel an immediate need to return to government service.

In the hours since his release, Santos has returned to the video platform Cameo, where public figures record personalized messages for paying customers. As of Saturday evening, Santos said, he had 48 pending requests. Santos also said he would be open to television work, including the celebrity competition “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I have not been invited, but I wouldn’t say no,” he said.

Most of all, Santos said he would simply like to move on with his life.

“I am not perfect. And to my critics, I hold no animosity. There will be no retribution tour,” Santos said. “I ask and I beg people to look at this for what it is. To continue to rehash the past will not change the future. Changing the future means what I do with my second chance. Give me the opportunity to do so. And most importantly, I wish all of my critics well.”

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