US President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman serving seven years in prison for fraud and identify theft.
In a post on social media, Trump said Santos "has been horribly mistreated", adding: "Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!"
The former lawmaker was only the sixth in US history to be expelled from Congress, after a damning ethics report in 2023.
Santos, who admitted to stealing the identities of 11 people - including from his own family members, was serving his sentence at a minimum-security jail in New Jersey. He was released on Friday night, US media report.
"God bless President Donald J Trump," said one of Santos's lawyers, Joseph Murray, following Trump's announcement.
In April when Santos was sentenced a judge told him: "You got elected with your words, most of which were lies."
He reportedly cried in court and begged for forgiveness, saying: "I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead."
Prosecutors argued that the novice politician had lied about his background and misused campaign funds to finance his lifestyle.
In his post, Trump justified the move by criticising a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom he accused of fabricating his US military service.
"This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!" Trump wrote.
Trump has previously called for an investigation into Blumenthal over the claim. The Democrat has acknowledged that he misspoke on numerous occasions about his time in the military, but has said the mishaps were more than a decade old.
"This allegation of 15 years ago has been really rejected by the voters of Connecticut three times, overwhelmingly re-electing me," Blumenthal told CNN earlier this month.
Santos's downfall began in 2022, after the New York Times published an investigation revealing the freshman congressman had lied about his CV, including having a university degree and working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
From there, the lies continued to pile up, including allegations that he stole money from a fundraiser for a dying dog and that he lied about his mother surviving the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Shortly afterwards, local and federal officials began to investigate.
He was eventually charged with 23 federal felony crimes, and in 2023 became the first expelled member of Congress in more than 20 years, and only the sixth in history.
A report from the House ethics panel accused him of misusing campaign funds for personal benefits, including Botox and subscriptions on the OnlyFans website.
Santos defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2022, flipping the district that encompasses parts of New York's Long Island and Queens, where he grew up.
Earlier this week, Santos published an open letter to Trump in the South Shore Press newspaper in Long Island, repeating his plea to be pardoned.
The letter, which was titled a "passionate plea to President Trump" asked for "the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community."
He wrote that he had been kept in solitary confinement after a death threat in August, and apologised for his actions.
"Mr President, I am not asking for sympathy. I am asking for fairness - for the chance to rebuild," he wrote.
"I know I have made mistakes in my past. I have faced my share of consequences, and I take full responsibility for my actions.
"But no man, no matter his flaws, deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires."
Santos began serving his sentence in July.
Trump has issued pardons to at least two other former Republican lawmakers since returning to office in January.
In May, he pardoned former congressman Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to tax crimes.
He also pardoned former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to corruption and fraud charges.
Commutations do not void criminal convictions, unlike a pardon.
www.bbc.co.uk
