Veteran Accuses George Santos of Pocketing $3,000 Meant for Surgery for His Dog, Which Eventually Died

Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y. (Andrew Harnik, AP)

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) continues to face questions over his numerous lies about his life story and his finances. Now, one U.S. Navy veteran has accused the congressman of taking money from a GoFundMe meant to raise money for the ex-soldier’s dog.

Santos denies the report.

On Tuesday, Patch published a piece about a man named Richard Osthoff, a disabled veteran who in May 2016 was living in a chicken coop in New Jersey. His service dog, Sapphire, needed surgery:

When Sapphire developed a life-threatening stomach tumor, Osthoff, now 47, learned the surgery would cost $3,000. A veterinary technician took Osthoff aside and told him, “‘I know a guy who runs a pet charity who can help you,'” Osthoff recounted.

His name was Anthony Devolder, and his pet charity was called Friends of Pets United, the vet tech told him.

“Anthony Devolder” is a name formerly used by Santos, who says his full name is George Anthony Devolder Santos.

On the campaign trail, Santos claimed he ran a pet charity, which appears to be fictitious.

Santos allegedly set up a page for Sapphire on GoFundMe, where users can solicit crowd-sourced funds for various causes.

According to Michael Boll, a retired police sergeant who tried to help Osthoff, Santos closed the page after it received $3,000 in donations.

Sapphire never had the surgery and died less than a year later. Osthoff told the outlet he could not afford the dog’s euthanasia and cremation.

“I had to panhandle. It was one of the most degrading things I ever had to do,” Osthoff said.

“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 told Patch. “He was totally uncooperative on the phone.”

Osthoff stated Santos told him he intended on using the money to help other animals. Eventually Santos “wouldn’t pick up the phone.”

“I told Rich to go to the police, but we had limited information [about Santos],” Boll said, referring to “Devolder.”

Ultimately, Osthoff got another service animal. The fate of the $3,000, however, remains uncertain, like much of Santos’ story.

Santos claimed the story is “fake.”

“No clue who this is,” he told Semafor.

However, Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin flagged the existence of a 2016 tweet promoting a fundraiser for “sapphire The Veteran rescue! by Anthony Devolder”.

CORRECTION: This article originally stated Rich Osthoff served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in the U.S. Navy.