How low can disgraced Congressman George Santos (R) sink?
The embattled New York Congressman is facing allegations he conned a homeless veteran out of thousands of dollars intended to save the man's dying service dog.
The veteran, Richard Osthoff, told the local news site Patch that he met Santos, who introduced himself under the alias Anthony Devolder in May 2016.
Osthoff was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002 and was living in a tent on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his service dog Sapphire when he reportedly met Santos.
At the time, Osthoff's dog Sapphire was suffering from a life-threatening stomach tumor that required surgery. Santos reportedly offered to help Osthoff raise the $3,000 needed for the operation through a pet charity called Friends of Pets United run by Anthony Devolder, an alias used by Santos in the past.
Devolder set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for Sapphire and once it hit its goal of $3,000, he closed and deleted the fundraising page and became hard to reach before he disappeared altogether, Osthoff told Patch.
The Navy vet, now 47, says he never saw a penny of the donations and his beloved service dog died on Jan. 15, 2017.
“Little girl never left my side in 10 years,” Osthoff told Patch. “I went through two bouts of seriously considering suicide, but thinking about leaving her without me saved my life. I loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized.”
His account was corroborated by fellow veteran and retired New Jersey police Sgt. Michael Boll, who told Patch that when he heard what happened, he tried to help Osthoff by reaching out to Santos.
“I contacted [Santos] and told him, ‘You're messing with a veteran,' and that he needed to give back the money or use it to get Osthoff another dog,” Boll said. “He was totally uncooperative on the phone.”
Santos claimed that he instead donated the $3,000 to other dogs in need because Sapphire wasn't a candidate for surgery and Osthoff didn't do things his way, according to a text exchange viewed by Patch.
The disturbing allegations add to the mounting pressure facing Rep. Santos. The Republican Congressman is facing allegations he intentionally forged his resume to sway votes and is also being questioned over his connection to a “classic Ponzi scheme.”
As American Liberty News previously reported:
Before winning a seat in Congress, Santos worked for Harbor City Capital, an internet marketing company, from 2020-2021.
The SEC charged Harbor City Capital with securities fraud and froze its assets in April 2021. A court order placed the Florida company under receivership.
Santos claimed he didn't know about the fraud. However, Journalist Andrew Kaczynski reported that Santos was alerted to potential fraud at Harbor City more than a year before the SEC filed an emergency action to shut down the alleged Ponzi scheme.
During his employment, Santos — who went by the name George Devolder at the time — was confronted by a potential customer who found a Standby Letter of Credit from Harbor City fraudulent.
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George Santos sounds like the typical flim-flam man and he’s probably guilty of more than lying.