Embattled Rep. George Santos scammed a veteran out of $3,000 he needed to pay for an operation for his beloved sick dog, local news website Patch reported Tuesday.
Without the funds Santos had raised on GoFundMe, Richard Osthoff told Patch that his honey-colored pit bull mutt Sapphire passed away.
“Little girl never left my side in 10 years,” Ostoff 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.”
It’s the latest revelation in the list of lies Santos has been accused of telling. Santos was sworn in to represent New York’s 3rd District covering parts of Long Island and Queens on Jan. 7, amid calls for his resignation and multiple investigations into his conduct.
Santos has brushed off criticism, insisting his fabrications were mere embellishments of his résumé, and didn’t return a request from Gothamist for comment on the latest allegations immediately.
He denied the accusations that he’d swindled Ostoff to news outlet Semafor, and said that he had “no clue” who Osthoff was.
Back in 2016, at the time of the reported GoFundMe scam, Osthoff, 47, was living in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop in Howell, New Jersey, with his service dog Sapphire.
While Osthoff had a place to stay he was sleeping in the chicken coop to be closer to the vet where Sapphire was receiving treatment for a large tumor, according to Michael Boll, a friend and veteran who met…
