George Santos—the former congressman who once named a bill after Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s alleged vaccine mishap—was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in federal prison for a string of fraud and identity theft charges tied to his 2022 campaign.
The 35-year-old ex-lawmaker from New York will serve 87 months behind bars after pleading guilty last August to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and theft of public funds.
Prosecutors said George Santos used fake campaign documents, stole donor identities and even collected pandemic-era unemployment benefits while running for office.
He’s also on the hook for $373,000 in restitution and a $205,000 forfeiture judgment and will be under supervised release for two years after serving his sentence.
The sentencing caps a spectacular fall from grace for the embattled Republican, who was expelled from Congress in December 2023 following a scathing House Ethics Committee report that detailed widespread misconduct.
Prosecutors described George Santos as a “pathological liar and fraudster” who showed “no genuine remorse.”
But before his legal troubles reached a boiling point, Santos made headlines for a different kind of controversy involving Nicki Minaj, COVID-19 vaccines and a now-infamous tweet about swollen testicles.
In 2021, during the pandemic, Nicki Minaj tweeted: “My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”
The post quickly went viral and was condemned by everyone from Joy Reid to Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh, the health minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2023, Santos introduced a bill called the Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act, or MINAJ Act, a nod to the rapper’s claim.
The bill aimed to establish a development period for new vaccines to boost public confidence. Unfortunately for Santos, the bill was never passed.
Santos must report to prison by July 25, 2025.
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