Santos denies taking GoFundMe money for disabled veteran’s dying dog

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Freshman Rep. George Santos was accused of taking GoFundMe money for a disabled veteran’s dying dog.
• U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff said that Santos’ pet charity raised over $3,000 for his service dog but took off with the money.
• Santos said the allegations are “fake” and denied having known Osthoff.

New York Rep. George Santos (R) is in the middle of another scandal after a disabled veteran spoke out and accused the congressman of taking thousands of dollars raised for a lifesaving surgery for his service dog.

U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff has been seeking treatment for his pitbull mix, Sapphire, who developed a stomach tumor. In 2016, he was put in touch with Santos, who went by the name Anthony Devolder.

Santos set up a GoFundMe through his pet charity, Friends of Pets United. The fundraiser ended up exceeding its $3,000 goal in June 2016.

Osthoff was told to go to a veterinarian in Queens, but they were told that they couldn’t operate on the tumor. Santos soon became elusive and difficult to contact.

He said that the final phone call had Santos claiming that he moved the GoFundMe to use “for other dogs” in his charity because Osthoff “didn’t do things my way,” Patch.com reported. Santos also denied his request to use the money to take his dog to a different vet.

Sapphire sadly passed away in January 2017. Osthoff had to panhandle to get the funds for the end-of-life services.

Last month, a New York Times report revealed that the charity had no record or registration in the Internal Revenue Service nor in the attorney general’s offices of New York and New Jersey.

Santos denied the allegations as “Fake” in a text message to Semafor on Tuesday night. He added, “No clue who this is.”

The freshman congressman has been facing calls of resignation ever since it was revealed that he made several fabrications about his campaign profile and personal background. He is also facing multiple ethics complaints and local and federal investigations.

Santos apologized for “embellishing” his resume and insisted that he did not commit any crime. He refused to resign and was still sworn into Congress this month.

Several Republicans, as well as those in New York’s Nassau County where Santos’ congressional district is located, have disowned Santos and called for his resignation. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ignored the calls and still helped appoint Santos to two House committees.

Source: CNBC