New York Rep. George Santos is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to weird scandals. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for this alleged fraud and thief, another comes to light — this time involving a GoFundMe for a veteran’s dying service dog.
Richard Osthoff, a homeless and disabled 47-year-old veteran, told Patch.com that Santos allegedly set up a GoFundMe account under the name Anthony Devolder, and raised $3,000 to pay for medical treatment for his service dog, Sapphire. However, once the funds were raised, Santos allegedly disappeared with the money, leaving Sapphire to die from a stomach tumor without ever receiving the treatment.
Osthoff claims that Santos told him over the phone that the donated money would be used for other animals because Osthoff “didn’t do things [Santos’s] way.” And in text messages published on Patch.com, a person (supposedly Santos) told Osthoff that it was the charity’s “credibility” that brought in the donations and that any funds raised for Sapphire would be “moved on to the next animal in need.”
GoFundMe confirmed to Vice that they received a report of the issue in 2016, and upon investigating, the fundraiser was removed.
“The organizer failed to respond, which led to the fundraiser being removed and the email associated with that account prohibited from further use on our platform,” the spokesperson said. “GoFundMe has a zero tolerance policy for misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.”
Santos denied the allegation on his official Twitter account.
The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages.
These distractions won’t stop me!
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 19, 2023
But this is far from the first scandal Santos has been caught in. Since he won election in November, he’s been accused of lying about his education and previous work, committing fraud and theft, as well as lying about having Jewish ancestry and claiming to have relatives who survived the Holocaust.
Despite calls for his resignation from Congress members and the Nassau County GOP, Santos seems to be clinging to his seat with no signs of letting go. He’s mostly avoided commenting on the allegations, but told reporters last week that he would “be addressing the media soon… on my time.” But until then, he will not be resigning.
I was elected to serve the people of #NY03 not the party & politicians, I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living.
I will NOT resign!
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 11, 2023
