--- title: The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America description: George Santos didn’t break our political system. He just showed how broken it already was, writes Mark Chiusano. canonical: https://time.com/7012648/george-santos-guilty-plea-lessons-essay/ author: Mark Chiusano article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-20T13:39:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:46:01.648Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America og:description: George Santos didn’t break our political system. He just showed how broken it already was, writes Mark Chiusano. og:url: https://time.com/7012648/george-santos-guilty-plea-lessons-essay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a2bddb7bc0027fb/698a5a0918689284f46c8665/George-Santos-Guilty-2024.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: George-Santos-Guilty-2024 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America twitter:description: George Santos didn’t break our political system. He just showed how broken it already was, writes Mark Chiusano. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a2bddb7bc0027fb/698a5a0918689284f46c8665/George-Santos-Guilty-2024.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=04a2ddbd-f7fa-4808-a33c-187cb8d8b47b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Former Congressman George Santos Speaks to Reporters After Guilty Plea [Watch (HLS stream): Former Congressman George Santos Speaks to Reporters After Guilty Plea](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gAguITBI.m3u8) (3:22)  _Published 2024-08-20. Among the truest words to be written about George Santos came in an August filing from his federal prosecutors, who observed that since December, 2022, “when a New York Times article was published detailing apparent misrepresentations in Santos’s biography, Santos has effectively gone on a speaking tour.” The final moments of that tour came on Monday, August 19, when Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft._ by [Mark Chiusano](https://time.com/author/mark-chiusano/) ## Mark Chiusano Aug 20, 2024 1:39 PM UTC Among the truest words to be written about George Santos came in an August filing from his federal prosecutors, who observed that since December, 2022, “when a New York Times article was published detailing apparent misrepresentations in Santos’s biography, Santos has effectively gone on a speaking tour.” The final moments of that tour came on Monday, August 19, when Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. by [Mark Chiusano](https://time.com/author/mark-chiusano/) ## Mark Chiusano Aug 20, 2024 1:39 PM UTC Among the truest words to be written about George Santos came in an August filing from his federal prosecutors, who observed that since December, 2022, “when a New York Times article was published detailing apparent misrepresentations in Santos’s biography, Santos has effectively gone on a speaking tour.” The final moments of that tour came on Monday, August 19, when Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. There will still be some encores, and a reunion or two. Sentencing for the 36-year-old former congressman is set for February 2025, and he now faces multiple years in prison as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution. He will have other moments in front of cameras. But the freewheeling speaking ceased outside the Long Island courthouse Monday afternoon, when Santos abandoned his claims about a “witch hunt” and instead apologized haltingly for his “unethical” decisions and the “lies” he told himself, vowing to make amends. Beyond that, there is nothing much left for Santos to say. His rise and fall on the national stage is complete, even if his example lives on. His was the story of a figure out of Twain, Melville, or even “Goodfellas”—the tale of a grifter from Queens who was always looking for a quick buck and a fun time. Santos was a gambler in more ways than one, whether he was betting on an ability to cheat a pet lover out of donations or actually heading to Atlantic City. He loved the world of entertainment, before he endeavored to entertain the world. He tried out different fields and biographies, sampled call center cubicles and small-time hustles. But he didn’t make it big until he put on the costume of a politician and entered history. In doing so, he exposed the rot at the heart of American politics. He was the perfect symbol of almost everything that is wrong with that staid, officious world; and also a warning of what might be to come. **_Read More:_** [_What I Learned Investigating George Santos_](https://time.com/6340175/george-santos-book/) He served less than a year before he finally [got pushed out ](https://time.com/6341973/george-santos-who-voted-not-expel/)in December 2023, vowing to wear his expulsion like a “badge of honor,” a la Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, the hustle continued. Santos’s first quick fix was selling video clips to civilians on the [Cameo app](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/george-santos-cameo.html), agreeing to say anything, even “Happy Hanukkah,” for the right price. Like usual with Santos, it worked—for a while. The disgraced former congressman broke the record for biggest first day, week, and month on Cameo, the company co-founder and CEO told me earlier this year. Those videos were fun, as were so many aspects of the Santos saga, but they were only confectionary sprinkles decorating a much more perplexing story. What makes someone lie the way Santos did? And what does it say about the United States that the hustle worked so long–and so well? These questions are very different than the ones that Santos partially dodged by skipping out on a fully fledged jury trial. They have nothing to do with hearing in painstaking detail where exactly his money went and who helped him hustle it. But they do help to explain why Santos briefly became such a notorious public figure, the chip on his shoulder leading to one of the great performances of the 21st century, a wild ride that people could gawk at but probably not stomach themselves. Certainly, though, there is something interesting–even relatable–about his shameless self-transformation, his desperate bid for celebrity and riches, his attempt to bluster into the stratosphere where titans of power seem to be effortlessly earning, just by being beautiful or amusing or loud. Couldn’t he be all those things, and more? He was a product of America, after all, shaped by a culture that encourages myth-makers to rise and thrive. Through his crazy hijinks and dumb luck, he became an American legend, another hustler who got away with the con for a minute, using every trick in the book. He did not break our political system—he just showed how broken it already was. Though Santos’s brief moment in Congress is (mostly) receding into the past, these issues are even more urgent. The political climate’s count of hucksters has diminished by one, but has not changed much at all. Santos’s story shows how easy it is to suck up attention and invent a persona, to stave off consequence and leave a trail of victims, while still crying victimization. He understood that liars and losers can win in this country simply by blustering and being outrageous and shameless—and persistent. He’s not alone. ## Transcript [00:00] It's been an extraordinarily difficult period in my life. [00:10] Filled with self reflection and regret. [00:12] I've spent countless hours thinking about everything [00:16] happening I arrived at this point in my life, [00:20] and I may not be the, [00:22] but I could tell you I so something differently. [00:26] Its occurred to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgment, [00:32] leading me to make decisions that were unethical and gut. [00:37] Fitting guilty is a step. I never imagine. [00:41] I take. But it is a necessary one because it is the right thing to do. [00:46] It's not only a recognition of my misrepresentations, [00:49] to others, but more profoundly. [00:52] It is my own recognition of the lies I had told myself over these past years. [00:57] It is a con. It is a confirmation with these truths that [01:01] have flooded me with e regret for the choices I make. [01:06] I'm taking responsibility because I have to. [01:09] There's no other way around it. [01:10] To my family friends and supporters and [01:13] the people of New York's third Congressional District, [01:15] I offer my deepest apology. [01:17] Has been the proudest achievement of my life to represent you. [01:21] And I believe I did so to the best of my abilities. [01:25] But you also trusted me to represent you with honor [01:28] and to uphold the values that are essential to our democracy. [01:32] And in that regard, I failed you. [01:37] I know that my actions have caused disappointment, [01:40] frustration, and a loss of faith in me and for that. [01:44] Moving forward, I am dedicated to making amends for the wrongs I have committed. [01:49] I understand that there are legal consequences of my actions. [01:53] And I accept them fully. [01:55] I hope that by facing these consequences head on, [01:58] I can begin to demonstrate my commitment to change and to earning or forgiveness. [02:03] I do not ask for forgiveness. [02:06] As I know that that must be earned through actions not words, [02:11] I want to be a part of restoring the integrity that I help diminish, [02:15] and I will work tirelessly to regain the trust of those I have. [02:19] As I move forward, I am committed to living a life [02:23] that reflects the values I should have upheld all along. [02:26] Truth and integrity. [02:29] I know that rebuilding trust will take [02:32] time and that my actions will always be a part of my history. [02:36] However, I am determined to use this experience as a turning point in my life, [02:42] one that will guide me to make better choices and to be an exemplary member of my f. [02:46] A short time ago, after years of telling lies, [02:51] former Congressman Gorge Santos stood in the courthouse right behind me, [02:55] and finally, under oath, told the truth. [02:59] And that truth is he is a criminal. [03:02] Santos pled guilty to committing serious crimes involving fraud and identity theft. [03:09] He also admitted to committing [03:11] all other crimes he was charged with in the superseding indictment. [03:16] As a result, he'll finally be held to account for his actions. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7012648/george-santos-guilty-plea-lessons-essay/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7012648/george-santos-guilty-plea-lessons-essay/"},"headline":"The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America","datePublished":"2024-08-20T13:39:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:46:01.648Z","description":"George Santos didn’t break our political system. 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