“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” wrote former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on X Thursday evening. “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.”
Hours later, the openly gay ex-congressman — ever the drama queen to the end — reported to federal prison to begin serving a seven-year sentence for fraud and identity theft.
Santos was sentenced in April to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was ordered to pay $374,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000 he earned through fraud.
Santos was elected to Congress in a New York Republican “wave” year, representing parts of Queens and Long Island. Soon after, it was revealed he had fabricated key details of his life story, drawing criticism from both parties for failing to vet the dark-horse candidate and raising questions about how he funded his campaign.
Those questions led to a House Ethics Committee investigation and a damning report finding “substantial evidence” of criminal and ethical wrongdoing. Santos was eventually expelled from the House.
Santos was also indicted on nearly two dozen charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft, theft of public funds, making false statements to Congress, and fraudulently claiming more than $24,000 in COVID unemployment benefits.
Santos eventually accepted a plea deal, admitting that he charged donors’ credit cards without authorization and lied about the contributions funding TV ads. Instead, he spent the money on personal expenses and stole the identities of nearly a dozen people, including family members, to make donations to his campaign.
Unless pardoned, Santos will remain in prison until early 2032, when he will be 44. He previously begged President Donald Trump, to whom he’s been absurdly loyal, for a pardon but claimed he could not get past the “gatekeepers” in Trump’s inner circle.
Earlier this week, Santos told Juliegrace Brufke on her Sources Say podcast that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged Trump not to pardon him. He also claimed fellow New York Republicans — many of whom demanded his resignation — pressured Johnson.
Johnson and other Republicans denied Santos’ accusations, calling them “unequivocally false.”
Santos told Brufke he hopes to serve his sentence in protective custody rather than with the general prison population. “I’d rather be seven years alone than risk rape, gang-banged, shivved, killed, strangled, bullied,” he said. “It’s a death sentence most likely for a gay man, look at the statistics. It’s the truth.”
Earlier this month, Santos wrote on X that if he dies in prison, it will not be an accident.
“I need you to hear this loud and clear: I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intention of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I’m in there,” Santos wrote. “If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie… full stop.
“The statistics around what happens to gay men in BOP custody are horrifying, and that’s exactly why I’m putting this out there now. So if something does happen, there’s no confusion. I did NOT kill myself.”
Earlier this week, Santos posted about disassociating, thinking about death, and threatened reporters who revealed the prison where he will be held.
“Reporters trying to find out the location I’m surrendering to, beware of this,” he wrote on X. “There will be an investigation, and whoever your source is in the BOP or Marshals office, they will be buried alongside you. That is a promise.”
But in his farewell message, Santos struck a more theatrical tone, signing off the way he lived his public life — as if on stage.
“To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press,” he wrote. “I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.”
Void, a Chicago-based Italian eatery, marked Pride Month with a pop-up parody targeting Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain that has long been criticized for its past support of anti-LGBTQ initiatives and organizations.
"Chick-feel-Gay" appeared for one day only, on June 22, at a storefront at 2937 N. Milwaukee Street, in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood.
The menu featured chef and co-owner Dani Kaplan's version of the famous Chick-fil-A fried chicken sandwich, along with waffle fries, dipping sauces, and chicken nuggets.
Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals reveals that detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender rights assert, and that the overwhelming reason for detransitioning is rooted in social stigma and lack of support.
Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals finds that detransitioning is far less common than anti-trans activists claim. When it does happen, it’s largely due to external pressures like stigma and lack of support, not regret over transitioning.
Trespassing charges have been dismissed against Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old transgender woman from Illinois who is believed to be the first person arrested under Florida’s ban on transgender bathroom use in public buildings.
On June 20, Leon County Judge Lashawn Riggans granted a motion from Rheintgen’s attorney to dismiss the case after the state failed to file charging documents and other required paperwork within 90 days of her arrest -- violating her Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial.
Riggans ruled that because the state failed to act, the charges had to be dismissed “because the speedy trial period has expired” -- a reference to Rheintgen’s Sixth Amendment right, which protects defendants from undue delays in the legal process.
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