CNN
—
Two New Jersey veterans say Congressman George Santos promised to raise money for life-saving surgery for one of his dogs in 2016, but has since struggled to get the money. got the
A struggling Republican freshman, Santos is under increasing pressure to resign after he lied and made false reports about his educational, work and family history. Santos admitted he had “embellished” his resume, but insisted he was “not a criminal.”
U.S. Navy veteran Rich Osthoff told CNN that his pitbull, Sapphire, started developing tumors in 2015 and continued to grow in 2016.
Michael Ball, Osthoff’s mentor and friend and founder of the New Jersey Veterans Network, told CNN that he had taken refuge with Osthoff as part of the charity’s mentorship program and sought help for his dog. Told.
Bol said a mutual friend connected the two veterans with Santos, who said he was frequently involved in animal rescues and rescues. Both Boll and Ostov knew Santos by the name Anthony Devolder, they said.
Santos has set up a GoFundMe for Osthoff’s pitbull, Sapphire, Boll said. A post from George Devolder’s Facebook profile links to his GoFundMe, which is raising funds for dog surgery.
“Sapphire is a 10-year-old red-nosed pitbull who is dating this guy. [sic] Not deserving to die for this tumor, she deserves treatment and care,” the Facebook post reads in part. “May this baby and daddy be together for a few more years. Can you help me? Doesn’t he deserve to have her? Let’s all work together to support the health of this family of two!” the post says.
CNN has reached out to Santos’ attorney and his congressional office for comment. Santos told news outlet Semaphore that the story, first reported by Patch.com, was “fake” and “has no idea who this is.”
The fundraiser ended up raising about $3,000, according to Boll.
But things took a turn for the worse after Osthoff tried to access GoFundMe funds, he said.
According to Ostov and Boll, Santos became uncooperative. At first, Ostov said he needed to take his dog to a veterinary clinic of Santos’ choice, then claimed another clinic would not accept Santos’ payment method.
“He had to do everything his way through a lot of hardships,” Osthoff told CNN. “He was totally, totally difficult. Obstacle after obstacle.”
At one point, Santos told Osthoff directly that he wouldn’t get the money. Osthoff accused Santos of running a bogus charity, saying Santos had become conflicted.
“He got so mad at me that he exploded and refused to give me any money and didn’t answer any more calls,” he said.
In a statement to CNN, GoFundMe said it removed the fundraiser from its platform after receiving reports of it.
“When we received a report of a problem with this fundraiser in late 2016, our Trust and Safety team asked for proof of funding from the organizer. It has been deleted and the email associated with that account has been banned from use on the platform. We are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.”
Ball tried to act as an intermediary between the two sides, but it didn’t work, he said.
“Anthony was mostly unhappy with what I said and was reluctant to even talk to me anymore,” Boll said.
Santos eventually stopped replying to messages from Bol and Ostov.
Osthoff said his dog died about six months after he last had contact with Santos.
His dog, Sapphire, “was my little savior,” he told CNN. “She kept me on this planet.”
Osthoff said she had to beg for money to pay for her euthanasia.
Osthoff said he contacted police about his interactions with Santos, but “it went nowhere at all.”
Osthoff didn’t know until recently that Anthony Deboulder and George Santos were the same person, because Santos went by different names when the two veterans contacted him.
“We started seeing him on TV in December,” Osthoff told CNN. “I recognized his face. It turned my stomach when I saw him.”
“It’s really disappointing to know that he’s now been given a position that affects the lives of thousands of people…that’s really disappointing,” Boll said.
