George Santos will get paid to participate in documentary on his “human side”

It looks like George Santos has found another way to profit off of the scandals surrounding his brief, ill-gotten time in Congress. The New York Times reports that filmmaker Jenner Furst will pay the disgraced former congressman to participate in an upcoming documentary.

Furst is perhaps best known for his docuseries LuLaRich, about the LuLaRoe pyramid scheme, and Fyre Fraud, the 2019 hit Hulu documentary about conman Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule’s disastrous 2017 ersatz music festival. As the Times notes, in addition to appearing in the film McFarland was also reportedly paid for materials used in Fyre Fraud, a decision that drew criticism.

Related:

George Santos vows “I’ll be back” in “bombshell” Ziwe interview

The disgraced former congressman says he’s not going anywhere “because people want the content.”

According to the Times, Santos will receive similar payment for providing Furst with archival materials, including photographs, videos, and, Furst said, “a lot of personal stuff that people have never seen.” Furst told the paper that such compensation is now common in the industry.

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“I really focus more on the human side of the story,” Furst said, explaining that the documentary will explore Santos’s childhood, insecurities, and heartbreaks.

Furst would not reveal how much Santos is being paid. But in 2019, Chris Smith, the director of another Fyre Fest documentary, told The Ringer that McFarland told him that he had been offered $250,000 to participate in Furst’s film. In an interview with Jezebel, Furst said that figure was inaccurate.

Furst seemed to suggest to the Times that by paying Santos, he was in fact helping create a pathway for the former congressman’s alleged victims to recoup funds he is accused of embezzling.

“The only way that people can get their money back is somehow for there to be money created, to put money in their hands,” Furst said.

Santos faces a total of 23 federal charges of fraud and financial crimes related to his 2022 campaign. Last month, the House Ethics Committee released the findings from its months-long investigation into Santos’s campaign, revealing “substantial evidence” he used campaign funds for his personal expenses, including vacations, luxury products, and an OnlyFans subscription, and “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

Following the release of the report, House lawmakers voted to expel Santos from Congress. Since then, Santos has reportedly earned over $174,000 making video messages via Cameo.

Earlier this week, comedian Ziwe posted her much-touted interview with Santos. A disclaimer at the top of the video revealed that the former congressman had requested payment for his participation in the interview three times, but producers declined.

Another film about Santos’s life is currently in development at HBO Films. In his interview with Ziwe, Santos claimed that that film is “not ever going to happen.”