NEW: Former GOP Congressman Reports To Prison

Friday’s fresh air will be the last for a while as disgraced former Congressman George Santos (R-NY) readies to report to prison and serve his sentence for fraud and identity theft.

True to form, Santos offered an ostentatious farewell on social media, treating his retreat from public life as if he were finishing a final run on Broadway.

“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote on X.

“From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days. To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press.”

The former New York lawmaker will begin serving an 87-month sentence after being expelled from Congress when questions emerged about his employment history. The controversy spiraled from there as campaign finance watchdogs charged him with unlawfully accepting contributions and spending lavishly for his own benefit.

He is only the sixth member of the U.S. House to be expelled in history.

“I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit,” his note adds.

Since pleading guilty in 2024, Santos has frequently used his social media accounts to weigh in on news of the day, channeling his outlaw image to cast aspersions on others who he jokes run the risk of suffering a similar fate.

Internet users got in on the fun on Friday, and Santos was all too happy to oblige.

“Have you ever noticed enigmas never age?” one X user responded to Santos, who shot back, “Because we don’t do drugs! Keep giving the swamp HELLO!”

His sentence is the maximum imposed in April by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert. She ordered him to pay $374,000 in restitution and forfeit another $205,000 in fraudulent proceeds, Fox News reported.

In addition to allegations of identity theft and fraud, prosecutors also charged Santos with running a scheme to illegally apply for money from federal COVID-19 relief funds.

“This prosecution speaks to the truth that my office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption,” U.S. Attorney John J. Durham said following the sentencing hearing. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said Santos “traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle.”

Before Santos pleaded guilty, prosecutors laid out how he and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, bilked Republican donors out of thousands of dollars after forging donations to qualify for matching funds from the Republican National Committee. That included a fake $500,000 loan from Santos, even though he only had $8,000 in assets at the time.