George Anthony Devolder Santos, born July 22, 1988, is an American former politician and convicted felon. He served as a Republican U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from January to December 2023, when he became the first Republican and sixth member overall expelled from the House of Representatives. Santos is openly gay and was the first openly LGBTQ Republican elected to Congress as a freshman after winning the open seat in 2022 against Democrat Robert Zimmerman, following an unsuccessful 2020 run against incumbent Tom Suozzi. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2024, receiving a sentence of 87 months in prison in April 2025, along with restitution and forfeiture orders; his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump on October 17, 2025, leading to his release. Santos faced scrutiny for fabricating claims about his education, career, health, religion, and finances, and he has a prior unresolved check fraud case in Brazil from 2008.

Education and Political Experience

Santos made false claims about his education, including attending Baruch College and NYU, which were later debunked. His political experience includes his 2020 congressional campaign loss, 2022 election victory, brief House tenure marked by scandals and embezzlement from donors, expulsion on December 1, 2023, and subsequent federal conviction. No verified educational credentials are documented in public records.