Former LI representative George Santos asks the judge to delay the sentence, citing lack of money to pay the confiscation imposed

Former Long Island Rep. George Santos on Friday asked a federal judge to postpone his sentencing on wire fraud and identity theft charges for several months because his attorneys say he does not have the money to pay the $205,000 forfeiture judgment. dollars that were imposed on him.

Santos, scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7 in federal court in Central Islip, pleaded guilty last year to charges of wire fraud and identity theft in connection with a series of schemes he committed while running for Congress.

Santos’ attorneys, in a Friday letter to U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, requested the delay, arguing that Santos needs more time to “generate sufficient funds” to pay the judgment and citing a delay in the release of his podcast called “ Pants on Fire with George Santos,” a cheeky nod to his propensity to avoid the truth.

The podcast was supposed to launch in September, but was delayed until December because the podcast’s production company, YW Productions, failed to secure studio space, its president Matt Sprouse said in the statement accompanying the letter.

“Mr. Santos now has a viable path to making significant progress in meeting his obligations, requiring only additional time for the quarterly compensation structure to generate sufficient funds,” wrote attorneys Andrew Mancilla, Robert Fantone and Joseph Murray.

Santos’ defense team, which also cited its need for additional time to acquire “letters from supporters who have expressed their desire to address the court,” suggested three alternative dates in August.

The letter said federal prosecutors oppose the delay in sentencing, but noted that Santos “continues to be in perfect compliance with his pretrial release conditions.”

John Marzulli, a spokesman for the Eastern District of New York prosecutors who secured Santos’ guilty plea, declined to comment Friday.

Prosecutors have said Santos, who was expelled from Congress in a historic move after representing parts of Nassau and Queens for about 11 months, inflated his campaign financing levels to qualify for federal matching funds, stole taxpayer money of his campaign by fraudulently charging his credit cards, received more than $24,000 in New York State unemployment benefits while holding a job, and made several false statements on his Congressional financial disclosure forms.

Santos faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years, according to federal prosecutors.

As part of Santos’ plea, Santos agreed to pay $205,002.97 in a forfeiture judgment.

Santos’ attorneys raised the possibility that Santos would not be able to pay the forfeiture by the required 30-day sentencing date when Santos pleaded guilty in August.

“He will do his best to achieve this,” Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, told the judge last August.