A Navy veteran who accused George Santos of stealing thousands of dollars from his sick dog’s fundraiser said his pet “smiled down from heaven” over the ex-congressman’s ouster.
Richard Osthoff told The Post Friday that he was relieved to hear Santos was ousted from his US House of Representatives seat for New York earlier in the day.
“I had a little girl who died — my little puppy — who I know is so happy right now and smiling from heaven,” Osthoff said. “He’ll probably be happier when I take him to court and he’ll be proven a liar, but this is a good start.
“I’m happy for the people of New York, who are leading a grassroots movement to try to get him out. This guy cheated on me when I was homeless, was down and out and got my dog dead, but he’s still a disgusting congressman. It is unheard of and should never happen.”
Osthoff said she still hasn’t recovered from the emotional anguish Santos caused when she allegedly took $3,000 from a GoFundMe campaign for her dying service dog, Sapphire, in 2016.
US Navy veteran Richard Osthoff said he was glad George Santos was ousted from his congressional seat. It’s been about seven years since Santos allegedly took money raised for life-saving surgery for his beloved pit bull mix, Sapphire. Richard Osthoff/Facebook
Osthoff was homeless and sleeping in a tent in New Jersey with Sapphire at the time, when a man named Anthony Devolder approached her and said he would connect her with a vet who could help remove a tumor growing from the dog’s stomach.
Devolder — the name Santos used before he entered politics — allegedly set up a GoFundMe campaign for veterans and his pit bull, while touting his charity Friends of Pets Unlimited.
The campaign raised $3,000, but Osthoff said he still hasn’t received a cent of that money to date. Sapphire died before she could undergo the life-saving surgery that Santos had promised to deliver.
Osthoff said he needed his dog because he suffered from mental health issues caused by his time in the military. She said Sapphire had a tumor the size of a cane growing from her heart and the surgery could help the pup live a few more years while she finds another dog to train.
Former US Representative George Santos leaves the Capitol in Washington, DC, following a vote to impeach him from Congress on Dec. 1. 2023. Rod Lamkey – CNP
For months, Santos allegedly kept telling Osthoff he was going to send him money and told him to go to New York to see a vet he knew.
“[Santos] not only took away my best friend and companion, but he was my medicine,” said the veteran. “Sapphire is dying and all I can do is watch the life drain from him, but this guy just disappeared into the sunset with the money that could have saved him. He almost took my life from me because I was ready to kill myself.”
Osthoff said when the GoFundMe money never came from Santos, she worked to raise enough cash to put Sapphire down because the sick puppy was in so much pain.
“I had to ask for money because there was nothing else I could do for him,” he said of his beloved service dog. “It’s the most heartbreaking thing in the world. I was sitting there in front of Home Depot, a grown man was crying with a small cup in my hand asking for money. It was horrible. It was very, very devastating to me that we could have saved him.”
Osthoff has since cooperated with officials from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and gave agents his text message exchanges with Santos from 2016. He said he has not heard back from authorities since then, but he is also considering filing his own lawsuit. against the disgraced former congressman.
The FBI has spoken with Navy veteran Richard Osthoff, who claims former Rep. Disgraced Long Islander George Santos cheated him out of thousands of dollars meant to save his dying service dog in 2016. Rich Osthoff/Facebook Santos is the sixth member to be kicked out of the House. AFP via Getty Images
Santos’ short congressional career representing New York’s 3rd District has been mired in controversy.
A House Ethics Committee report confirmed Santos used his 2022 campaign money for OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox and spa treatments. The ethics panel also noted that Santos had spent $3,332.81 on Airbnb when his campaign calendar stated that he “stopped at [the] Hampton’s [sic] for the weekend.”
Santos, 35, was also accused of writing $15,000 in bad checks to an Amish dog breeder in Pennsylvania, but escaped the case after claiming his checkbook was stolen.
Federal prosecutors in May filed a 13-count indictment against the former Long Island congressman who allegedly embezzled $50,000 in campaign money, illegally used COVID unemployment benefits and lied to Congress on his financial disclosure forms.
Richard Osthoff Rich Osthoff/Facebook
He was indicted on more criminal charges in October accusing him of inflating his campaign’s fundraising totals and charging contributors’ credit cards without their consent.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Friday, Santos became the sixth member to be expelled from the US House of Representatives in a 311-114 vote, with more than 100 other GOP lawmakers supporting his removal.
Osthoff hopes Santos’ forced departure from Congress will also get the ball rolling on the various criminal charges against him.
Osthoff said she is no longer homeless, working, has a home and lives with her three new dogs, which makes her happy. Nevertheless, he still hopes to get justice for Sapphire.
“[Santos] messed me up and he messed up a lot of others,” Osthoff said. “He is a good salesman and knows how to manipulate situations. He is a bastard and he killed my dog. I probably won’t see a dime from him until he does [competition TV show] ‘Dancing With the Stars’ or something, but I’m not going to give up.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
