Judge agrees to let George Santos summer in the Poconos while criminal case looms

George Santos, freed from a court order that kept him tethered to Long Island, New York City and Washington, D.C., is setting off for a summer in the Poconos.

U.S. Eastern District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip approved a motion Tuesday giving the expelled former Long Island congressman permission to travel to the Pennsylvania resort town.

Santos, 35, was previously unable to leave New York City, Long Island and Washington D.C. without permission from the court under his pretrial conditions while awaiting a federal fraud trial. Santos pleaded not guilty last year to a grand jury’s indictment on charges including fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and lying on his Congressional financial disclosure forms.

Attorneys for Santos filed a letter with the court June 6, seeking to modify the conditions of his release and to also allow travel to “Mt. Pocono and surrounding area.” He was previously allowed to visit the area by providing notice to the court, but asked the court to bypass weekly travel requests.

“Over the summer months, Mr. Santos intends to make regular visits to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, which is located approximately seven miles north of Mt. Pocono,” Santos’ attorney Robert Fantone wrote. “He expects to travel to the Mt. Pocono area weekly."

Santos did not provide a reason for his travel, but his attorney noted that prosecutors and his pretrial services officer had no objection. His attorney noted Santos has followed all bail conditions with regular check-ins and followed travel restrictions set by the court.

The judge granted the request without comment in her order filed Tuesday.

In an email to Newsday, Fantone said he was "working on Mr. Santos' reply submission related to his pre-trial motions. I'd be happy to discuss that with you after we file it on Friday."

Santos posted an exchange with an Associated Press reporter on his “X” account, calling it “a slow news day,” suggesting instead that reporters focus on hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut, who will not compete in the July 4 Coney Island contest because of a contract dispute. 

The travel exception request comes after Santos and his attorneys had asked the court to dismiss certain charges, including identity theft and theft of government funds.

Prosecutors countered that his arguments to dismiss charges “lack a basis in either fact or law and should accordingly be rejected.”

Santos is scheduled to return to court Aug. 13 for a pretrial hearing.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.