Disgraced Rep. George Santos allegedly conned a disabled, homeless veteran out of thousands of dollars donated to save the man’s dying service dog, according to a stomach-turning report.
The veteran, Richard Osthoff, told the local news site Patch that he met Santos, who introduced himself as Anthony Devolder, during a tough time in his life in May 2016.
Osthoff, who was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002, was living in a tent on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire at the time, Patch reported.
Sapphire was suffering from a life-threatening stomach tumor that was growing by the day and surgery to remove the tumor would cost $3,000, according to the vet’s estimate, Osthoff said.
The veteran, who couldn’t afford the surgery, said a veterinary technician took him aside and offered assistance via a pet charity called Friends of Pets United run by Anthony Devolder, an alias used by Santos in the past.
Devolder set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for Sapphire and once it hit its goal of $3,000, he closed and deleted the fundraising page and became hard to reach before he disappeared altogether, Osthoff told Patch.
The Navy vet, now 47, never saw a penny of the donations and his beloved service dog died on Jan. 15, 2017, according to the outlet.
“Little girl never left my side in 10 years,” Osthoff told Patch. “I went through two bouts of seriously considering suicide, but thinking about leaving her without me saved my life. I loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized.”
republicans - liars, cheats, veteran haters
The veteran, Richard Osthoff, told the local news site Patch that he met Santos, who introduced himself as Anthony Devolder, during a tough time in his life in May 2016.
Osthoff, who was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002, was living in a tent on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire at the time, Patch reported.
Sapphire was suffering from a life-threatening stomach tumor that was growing by the day and surgery to remove the tumor would cost $3,000, according to the vet’s estimate, Osthoff said.
The veteran, who couldn’t afford the surgery, said a veterinary technician took him aside and offered assistance via a pet charity called Friends of Pets United run by Anthony Devolder, an alias used by Santos in the past.
Devolder set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for Sapphire and once it hit its goal of $3,000, he closed and deleted the fundraising page and became hard to reach before he disappeared altogether, Osthoff told Patch.
The Navy vet, now 47, never saw a penny of the donations and his beloved service dog died on Jan. 15, 2017, according to the outlet.
“Little girl never left my side in 10 years,” Osthoff told Patch. “I went through two bouts of seriously considering suicide, but thinking about leaving her without me saved my life. I loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized.”
republicans - liars, cheats, veteran haters
