FBI investigates allegation that George Santos stole money from veteran’s dying service dog

According to NBC News, the FBI is talking to a veteran about his allegation that Rep. George Santos stole thousands of dollars that were raised to pay for his dying service dog’s surgery.

New Jersey Navy veteran Rich Osthoff has accused Santos, who used the name Anthony Devolder back in 2016, of stealing $3,000 raised on GoFundMe for life-saving treatment for his service dog, Sapphire. The dog never received treatment because Osthoff said he never received the money.

Osthoff said on Wednesday that he “gives [the FBI] everything he has,” including messages with Santos.

“I’m thrilled that the big guys have finally figured this out,” Osthoff told NBC News. “I’ve looked at all my text messages and I’m currently looking at everything related to the GoFundMe campaign.”

Politico first reported on the scope of the FBI investigation. An FBI spokesman in New York declined to comment, as did the Eastern District of New York.

The Queens District Attorney’s office had previously declined to comment specifically on Santos’ alleged mishandling of the crowdfunding campaign. Instead, an office spokesman reiterated a previous statement about Santos’ alleged behavior, saying, “While we certainly do not comment on open investigations, we are reviewing whether Queens County has jurisdiction over any potential criminal offenses.”

Santos’ office did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment. Santos addressed the dog allegations on January 19, also posting a partial retraction on Twitter.

“Reports that I will let the dog die are shocking and insane. My work in animal welfare has been a matter of love and hard work. In the last 24 hours, I have received pictures of the dogs I have helped reduce over the years, along with messages of support. These distractions won’t stop me!” he tweeted. (After a couple of hours, he deleted the tweet and replaced it with a new one to correct the typo “reduce” to “save”.)

The congressman’s tweet criticized, but did not outright deny, allegations that Santos disappeared in 2016 with thousands of dollars raised in GoFundMe to cover the cost of surgery to remove a stomach tumor from a veteran dog.

“I tried to call the police, but without a real name – I didn’t know it was George Santos. No address, no phone number, they couldn’t do anything about it,” Osthoff said in January. “I’m furious, this guy is a congressman! He doesn’t deserve this job.”

George Santos is temporarily resigning from two committee assignments. Reported by Greg Sergol.

Back in his home area, many expressed their dissatisfaction with the allegations against Santos.

“What George Santos did here was disgusting. I’m not sure which straw will break the camels,” said Mitch Fuhrman, a Vietnam War veteran. “Twenty veterans a day commit suicide in this country. Service dogs are one way to prevent that.”

Santos, who won his Long Island constituency in November, has largely remained silent since arriving in Washington in January, saying only that he’s polished his resume and that an ethics check won’t stop him. He was sworn in and refused calls to relinquish his seat, and gave only a couple of interviews to conservative media.

Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd district, is reportedly under investigation by local, state and federal prosecutors, as well as Brazilian authorities, where he has been charged with fraud.