Republican Rep. George Santos (New York) used a fake animal charity to trick wounded veterans into raising money for dog cancer treatment and then kept the money himself. claim is not true.
Santos said he knew nothing of the scheme allegedly involving the charity he claimed to have founded.
“It’s fake. I have no idea who this is,” Santos told Semaphore.
U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff told Patch.com that he started an animal charity called Friends of Pets United after learning it would cost $3,000 to operate on his service dog, a pitbull mix named Sapphire. He said he was in contact with the group. – Threatening stomach tumor.
George Santos dismissed call from campaign staff to resign after background check, lies exposed: report
Republican Rep. George Santos (New York) used a fake animal charity to trick wounded veterans into raising money for dog cancer treatment and then kept the money himself. claim is not true.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A veterinary tech told him he knew someone who ran a charity and could help raise funds. Osthoff was informed that the charity is run by Anthony Devolder, an alias Santos allegedly used for years before entering politics in 2020.
Osthov and another veteran, a retired police sergeant. Michael Boll, who tried to step in to help Ostoff in 2016, said the GoFundMe page that raised the money needed for his dog’s surgery was shut down by Santos, and now the congressman has disappeared with the money.
After consulting with a relevant veterinarian, Santos claimed the dog’s illness was untreatable and would instead be donated to his charity. Santos reportedly stopped responding.
Text messages allegedly sent between Osthoff and Santos obtained by Patch.com revealed a denied request to receive funds elsewhere.
Santos said he knew nothing of the scheme allegedly involving the charity he claimed to have founded.
(Olivier Dulliery/AFP)
The dog passed away on January 15th, 2017, having been out of work for over a year with a broken leg and was unable to afford euthanasia and cremation. Osthoff said he had to beg to find money to euthanize and cremate Sapphire.
Friends of Pet United, a charity founded by Santos, was not listed as a charity in official records, according to the New York Times. .
This comes after reports revealed that Santos lied about parts of his career in defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the 2022 election. Santos had, among other things, fabricated his job, education background, and ties to an alleged Ponzi scheme.
George Santos refuses to resign after Nassau County GOP calls for disgraced lawmaker to resign
A GoFundMe page that raised money for dog surgery is said to have been shut down by Santos.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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Santos has been asked to resign by some Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as well as numerous New York Republicans. He said he would resign if the 142,000 voters who voted for him asked for him.
On Tuesday, Santos was nominated by House Republican leadership to two committees: Small Business and Science, Space and Technology.
