Richard Osthoff: Disabled veteran alleges Rep George Santos stole $3K raised for his cancer-stricken dog
QUEENS, NEW YORK: Rep George Santos, who is accused of fabricating his resume and using different names over several years, has found himself under fire once again. A disabled and homeless veteran has accused Santos of conning him of $3,000 which was raised for his cancer-stricken service dog. Richard Osthoff explained that he met the Republican, who referred to himself as Anthony Devolder back then, at a tough time in his life in May 2016.
The 47-year-old US Navy vet was living on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey when he first heard of the disgraced Republican. He tells the local outlet Patch that his service Sapphire developed a life-threatening stomach tumor and he learned that the surgery would cost $3,000. A veterinary technician told Osthoff, "I know a guy who runs a pet charity who can help you." This is when he met Santos. The name of the charity was 'Friends of Pets United'. Santos set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for the struggling dog Sapphire and collected $3,000. However, as soon as he hit the goal, he allegedly disappeared. Osthoff tells Patch, "He stopped answering my texts and calls."
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Who is Richard Osthoff?
Osthoff is a discharged veteran from the US Navy whose last serving year was 2002. After Osthoff was out of work with a broken leg for over a year, he couldn't afford the euthanasia and cremation of his dog Sapphire who died on January 15, 2017. He tells the outlet, "I had to panhandle. It was one of the most degrading things I ever had to do." At the time, another New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt Michael Boll came to help the grieving Navy veteran. Boll is a retired Marine Corps veteran and Union Township police sergeant. He founded the nonprofit NJ Veterans Network and met Osthoff through his outreach work.
Boll was able to get a hold of Santos and told him, "I contacted [Santos] and told him 'You're messing with a veteran,' and that he needed to give back the money or use it to get Osthoff another dog. He was totally uncooperative on the phone." Osthoff explains that after setting up the now-deleted GoFundMe page, Santos became hard to reach saying, "I only talked to him two or three times on the phone."
George Santos allegedly duped a Navy veteran
After the GoFundMe page hit the target, an excited Osthoff soon became confused after Santos told him that he couldn't use the NJ practice, and persuaded him to bring Sapphire to a veterinarian in Queens, New York. Osthoff, who only wanted to cure his dog, drove to where the Republican suggested him. He tells Patch, "It was a tiny little hole in the wall place, but looked legitimate. The vet there said they couldn't operate on the tumor."
The situation was fishy because the vets in New Jersey did not bring up any concerns regarding the treatment. In November, when Santos was completely out of reach, Osthoff texted him saying, "I'm starting to feel like I was mined for my family and friends donations." In one of the final conversations Osthoff had with him, Santos said that he "didn't do things my way" and so the money he raised for Sapphire will now be added to the charity to use "for other dogs."
