Two New Jersey veterans say now-Congressman George Santos promised to raise funds for lifesaving surgery for one of their dogs in 2016, then became elusive and took off with the money.
Rich Osthoff, a US Navy veteran, told CNN his pit bull Sapphire began developing a tumor in 2015, and it continued to grow in 2016. Osthoff said he was homeless, living in a tent, at the time after losing his job and house.
Osthoff’s mentor and friend Michael Boll, founder of New Jersey Veterans Network, told CNN he took Osthoff under his wing as part of the charity’s mentorship program and tried to get help for his dog.
Boll said a mutual friend connected the two veterans with Santos, who told them Santos was frequently involved with helping and rescuing animals. Boll and Osthoff both knew Santos by the name Anthony Devolder, they said.
Santos set up a GoFundMe for Osthoff’s pit bull, Sapphire, Boll said. A post from the Facebook profile of George Devolder links to a GoFundMe raising surgery funds for the dog.
CNN has reached out to Santos’ lawyer and his congressional office for comment. Santos told the news outlet Semafor that the story, first reported by Patch.com, was “fake” and that he had “no clue who this is.”
#EvaMcKend #cnn #georgesantos
#News
How dare he uses pets to con ppl then stole from those pets ?? What a low life !!
Creepy
@CutieSusieQ7 I agree, gay men are nasty
@CutieSusieQ7 It’s downright sociopathic.
Santos has managed to behave and lie in ways that offend a very wide range of people.
Yet the entire GQP seem completely un-phased by any of it.🤔
@Veronica Rainone
It won’t be worth it in the end. He’s a sociopath.
Repent…accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. John 3:16 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Luke 13:3 KJV – I tell you nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
John 3:3 KJV – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
@Dwarfy2k while we are at it: “your” isn’t right in that use, ever, anywhere.
It’s hilarious to be that after Potato in Chiefs numerous lies to the American people, you just look the other way and focus on the republicans. Totally open mind, not simple minded whatsoever 🤣👉🤡🌈❤️❤️
GOP is scum
I’ve seen this written up elsewhere. Glad to see major news outlets are picking this up.
TYT covered it a day or two ago!
@smurfcrusher on her way out of Washington when she finishes her last stretch as a Senator, she should just take them alllllllll out with her minivan.
We can call it a parade. If the GOP can label an insurrection as a visit to the Capitol, she can parade plow. 😂🍿😎
@tishwitch The Democrats have shown that they are better than that. Of the two parties, seems to me only Republican extremists are committing terrorist acts.
@smurfcrusher a girl can dream… Like bugs on a windshield. I know they aren’t extreme in those ways.
It’s funny how “Antifa” just like stopped “burning down cities” LOL (that was never happening) Republicans are impossible and delusional. I get it. I wish we could just toss all the criminal extremists onto an island. Santos can be their leader.
@Stephen Rowe They have been. Like for weeks. Gutfeld, Hannity, Tucker, all of them covered it. Waiting your next stööpid comment
Good god how low can this guy go .. disgusting !!! It’s way below the belt line 🤬!!!
Such a horribly sad story 😢and I hope that he will be held accountable !!!
That was the only qualification/experience that got him into the GOP – fundraising
Evangelicals expect what normal humans perceive as LOW, really super LOW, or they won’t support him in their Anti-American movement.
Quite the contrary, he was promoted by his party the same day this news was broke.
@Divine Luna – It seems like the mad tangerine and Santas Claus are in a race to the bottom.
He didn’t just take the money, he started the GoFundMe for the sake of the sick dog, then just kept the money and the dog died. I’m not sure how it affected the veteran who owned the poor little doggo.
@Robert Ray I just lost an 18-year-old kitty who would put his paw on me when I had nightmares. They kept me alive. Losing a pet can be devastating to ordinary people but a homeless vet whose only solace is his dog? That’s pure evil.
Seems like grand larceny to me. He needs to be charged with it.
@ginmar I’m sorry to hear about your kitty. We love our pets as if they were our children. That’s why it makes me so angry to hear that an animal has been abused. Or in this case, when a con man plays with the hopes and fears of a homeless veteran, and then he has to watch his beloved partner suffer till she died. I can only hope that there’s a special place in hell for people like Santos
As I was just reminded, the dog wasn’t just a pet, it was his emotional support dog. Losing a pet is like losing a member of your family and it’s tragic, but a homeless vet losing their emotional support dog? I don’t know how many support dogs in America have literally saved the lives of Vets with PTSD but it’s got to be in the tens of thousands at this point at least.
Put yourself in the veteran’s shoes for just one minute. How do you think that you would feel? Do you know anyone who has lost a beloved pet or person? Ask them how much hurt that they felt. Have you lost anyone that you cherished? I’m not trying to dismiss your query, I want you to think about having nothing, no home other than a tent, but you do have the love and devotion of a voiceless innocent who is suffering. It is nearly impossible to think that a lowlife like Santos, or anyone, purposefully scamming someone so in need. I think that you feel the same. ☺️
Given the current state of the GQP, this dude has 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner written all over him!
VP for the traitor at least.
if we find out about a history of sexual assault he does.
Trump also enjoyed scamming veterans (“suckers and losers”). Santos/Devolder/Zabrovsky is his perfect running mate.
Luke Oliver lol
Once he affected an animal negatively, in my mind, he becomes an enemy! This guy doesn’t deserve anything, he is a sorry excuse for a human!
@MossyMozart
“he is a sorry excuse for a human”
why do you think gay people aren’t human? you sound like a Trump Nazi you homophobe, please don’t think you’re a liberal like me who accepts all with love and open arms
You need to set the bar higher dude. He’s essentially wanted for cheque fraud down South. FRAUD dating back years.
I love dogs. But if I lived in NY, I’d have been done long before this story. The guy used a fake name in college…. Do you know how psychopathic that is? NOPE. The dog fund was the icing on this crap cake.
@Tom Beacher who’s gay?
@tishwitch George Santos is openly gay which is why he is getting all this hate from intolerant people
@Tom Beacher I wouldn’t have a clue about his sexual orientation but I think that’s unlikely to be why anyone has issues. George Santos has been lying and scamming for his entire life. That has nothing to do with his s*x preferences.
He wrote bad cheques. He stole from a veteran. He stole from his roommate. He lied on his college application and throughout his education with fake names. He lied about his resume and job history.
I don’t think I’ve seen 1 mention on any network or newspaper about his sexual orientation. But Pete Buttigeg seems to do just fine as a gay man in Washington… I think you’re incorrect in your assessment! 🙂
Let’s be honest, they could find out he’s a prolific serial killer, and they still wouldn’t do anything. As Professor Plum said in the Clue movie, “You don’t know what kind of people they have [in government.] I might go up in their estimation.” They’d probably put him on MORE committees now.
Being a con is one thing but scamming a homeless vet who needed money to save his dog is pure cold hearted and pure evil
Like Trump raising all kinds of money for Veterans and not giving them any until the press started asking about the money
Repent…accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. John 3:16 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Luke 13:3 KJV – I tell you nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
John 3:3 KJV – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Santos is among the most pathetic people ever. I hope a big wave of karma catches up to him at some point.
@Jeremy DeCaro better send this post to George Santos Congress office… and to Kevin McCarthy as well
So true. So evil. This guy, whatever his man name actually is, needs to be fired immediately and then immediately deported back to Brazil where authorities are already very keen to prosecute him for financial fraud.
I’m desperately hoping this turns out not to be true. The thought of someone doing something so despicable as this makes me feel sick.
Unfortunately it is true. I have looked into it. Of course there are always two sides to a story. I rescued pit bulls for 15 years. What compassionate loyal dogs they are. I imagine the veteran was devastated..
Just image this guy climbing the steps towards responsible ruling of Government!
The more I think about this, the more it makes me actually shake with rage.
A homeless vet at some point thought he was he was going to get $3000. Not for himself, not to help put a roof over his head or anything though God knows he deserves it, but for his dog.
Anyone who’s lost a pet or even if you haven’t, anyone with even the slightest bit of empathy should be able to know how much it hurts to not be able to help your pet that you love. But for a moment this guy thought he was going to be able to get his dog that help and that hope was ripped away from him.
George Santos reportedly was making around $50,000 a year before suddenly and very suspiciously started being rich. If you’re making 50k a year, 3k is still a lot of money, but it’s not that much. It sure as hell shouldn’t be enough of a reason to commit such cruelty onto another human being. George Santos isn’t just a pathological liar, this dude is a sociopath and he needs to be behind bars.
No I actually don’t think this is typical behavior of all politicians, as much as I am total opposite of Republican values, I really feel that most would not do these things (but sadly they won’t clean up their own s#&@%t show elected officials to get their party respectable) George Santos is one awful, stinking person and needs to go! The next thing after that is to make sure DT never runs for president again and his cohorts need to be tamed!
@Mish375 S Typical REPUBLICAN behavior. Your false equivalency is insulting.
I’m curious about the hundreds of thousands donated to his business and campaign from Russians. That’s a story that’s about ready to explode like a tin of Jiffy Pop 🍿
And I’m here for his downfall. He’s an absolute psychopath. He went to college using a fake name…. That’s seriously maladaptive behavior. He is a danger to your country.
@TheFlutecart Not sure of it’s sad that I’ve lost faith in all politicians at this point or if it’s sad that I’m not surprised a Republican would act this way? Either way speaks to the sorry state of politics globally. (Not from the USA)
I feel like most people didn’t go out their way to help this homeless dog/vet. . I think we should applaud George aka Anthony aka Kitara for trying to help. Unfortunately the dog couldn’t be saved. At least he offered help
More is expected from an E1 in the US Navy than from a Congress person, a Senator, a Supreme Court Judge or the President. God helps us all!
yeeep e1 is bootcamp, it is a disgrace..GW& cheney are still free
Disgusting evil cold hearted monster that would do this to a veteran and his much needed therapy companion…😠
That dog has more dignity and self respect than Santos can ever have.
I feel more that poor dog than I’ll ever feel for George Satan’s.
@Jody Tollefson You misspelled the Democrat party 👉🤡
@Tio Swift Joe Biden has done more for the USA in 2 years then any other president in the last 50.
@smurfcrusher You’ve got a valid point there.
@Jody Tollefson 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cap.
What a terrible conscienceless inhumane being… When a person takes advantage of someone who is not able to defend himself – let alone an animal.. that is the lowest low….
The unconditional love and devotion that their dog gives to a homeless person is immeasurable. That dog means the world to them. What Santos did is inexcusable. It brings tears my eyes.
Taking money greater than 1000$ is normally a felony in most all states. It seems to me that if there is proof he needs to be charged and convicted of theft, grand larceny or both!
The amount of things one person can get away with and not be held accountable is astounding.
Just think how screwed he is…
Imagine IF this story was fake..
Would you believe it? Yes, you would.
Now imagine all the fake stories that could be thrown at him. They’ll all stick.
I would also like to point out that the service dog Sapphire (rest in piece) appears to be a Pit Bull or Pit Bull mix. There are sometimes misconceptions about Pit Bulls that all they are unpredictable and can’t be used for anything other than fighting against other animals like what they used to do in bull baiting, bear baiting, and dog fighting, but that is not true. There are Pit Bulls that act as therapy dogs, drug detection, search and rescue, etc. They are good dogs, and the negative stories make up a very small percentage of the over 17 million Pit Bulls in America alone.
Our Country Sheriff’s office recently acquired a pit bull mix that was rescued from a shelter and trained to find narcotics.
@June Sackett Thanks for sharing. Love to hear stories like that.