George Santos Wants Solitary Confinement If He's Sentenced to Prison

George Santos isn't looking to make any new friends behind bars if he's sentenced to serve prison time ... telling Matt Gaetz he's going to ask for solitary confinement.

The disgraced former NY congressman stopped by "The Matt Gaetz Show" on One American News Network Thursday to discuss fraud and identity theft charges ... telling Gaetz he's asking to serve only two years and hopes to spend the entirety of his sentence all by himself.

Santos says he's allowed to request protective custody because of who he is ... as a former member of Congress, he claims, he stood on defining issues that put him at risk.

Gaetz brings up gangs from Latin America ... pointing out Santos was a loud voice in the House of Representatives speaking out against MS-13 and "roving Chilean gangs" -- and George agrees that incarcerated gang members may target him if he's put in general population.

Former Rep. Santos cut a deal with federal prosecutors last summer to avoid going to trial -- pleading guilty to just two of the nearly two dozen charges he faced. He faces a mandatory-minimum sentence of 2 years for identity theft.

Santos was arrested in May 2023 and charged with wire fraud and identity theft ... and he calls the whole ordeal a "witch hunt" and slings mud at the Biden family in the process.

GS was elected to Congress in 2022 and sworn in January 2023 -- and he was booted from office amid a federal investigation less than a year into his first term. Many elements of his campaign biography were also found to be fabricated.

A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson tells TMZ ... the agency can't speak specifically to Santos' case, but "Some of the factors include the level of security and supervision the inmate requires, any medical or programming needs, separation, and security measures to ensure the individual's protection, and other considerations including proximity to an individual's release residence."