NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A disabled veteran who accused Rep. George Santos of stealing money for his service dog’s cancer surgery in May 2016 said the FBI reached out to him for information on the incident Wednesday.
Navy veteran Richard Osthoff claimed Santos volunteered to organize a GoFundMe campaign through his charity Friends of Pets United to raise $3,000 for his service dog’s cancer surgery. Santos allegedly took off with the money Osthoff had raised from friends and family, leaving the homeless veteran’s dog to die.
Santos expressed outrage, but did not explicitly deny, the allegations in a Jan. 19 tweet.
“The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane,” wrote Santos. “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!”
Osthoff told Politico he gave the FBI texts with Santos and other evidence of the scam.
"I have no recollection of ever meeting [Osthoff]," Santos told ABC News.
The accusation regarding Osthoff’s dog is just one of a flurry of scandals surrounding the freshman congressman from Long Island.
Santos admitted to lying about his heritage, job history, education and accomplishments.
He’s currently facing calls for his resignation, including from his fellow Republican legislators, and three criminal investigations in addition to the FBI probe.
Santos was making $55,000 per year up until 2020, according to financial disclosure documents he filed during the campaign.
In 2021 and 2022, he reported income between $1 million and $5 million from a “capital intro consulting company.”
He turned around and funneled more than $700,000 of that newfound fortune into his campaign.
U.S. federal and state prosecutors are investigating that sudden shift in income and his campaign finances.
The federal investigation includes a probe of Friends of Pets United. Santos claimed the charity was a 501(c)(3) non-profit, but a New York Times investigation found the IRS had no records indicating the organization was registered as a non-profit.
Santos is also facing an investigation from Brazilian prosecutors who accuse him of using fake checks in 2008.
Santos admitted to Brazilian police he forged a man’s signature on two checks to purchase over $1,300 worth of clothing and shoes, according to documents obtained by CNN.
Related
Related
Related
