(TotalConservative.com) – Rep. George Santos is being accused by a U.S. Navy veteran, Richard Osthoff, of being conned by Santos.
Osthoff was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2002, he told a local news site, and eventually fell on hard times. In 2016, he was living in a tent beside Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, accompanied only by his service dog named Sapphire.
Sapphire had a giant tumor growing in her stomach, the removal of which would cost up to $3000 according to the veterinarian who examined the dog. Because Osthoff could not afford the surgery, a veterinary technician recommended he reach out to a pet charity, Friends of Pets United, for assistance in paying for it. The charity was run by a man named Anthony Devolder, supposedly a former alias of Santos.
Osthoff claims that Devolder arranged a GoFundMe to help raise the funds needed for Sapphire’s procedure and that after the goal of $3000 was reached, Devolder ended the donations and deleted the page. Osthoff had trouble reaching Devolder, who eventually vanished completely.
A few months later, in January 2017, Sapphire died and Osthoff never received any of the money that was raised to save the dog. Osthoff said he went through “two bouts of seriously considering suicide” but having the dog, who never left his side, kept him going.
Santos denied the allegations, stating that the story is “fake” and that he has “no clue” who Osthoff is.
This is just the latest in a series of scandals for Santos. He has been under fire over the last few weeks for a series of scandals such as misusing campaign funds, lying about having Jewish heritage, and largely forging his resume. Whether or not the disgraced Congressman will recover from these controversies remains to be seen.
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