Lawmaker Lafazan and voters hand over $27,000 donation to Paws of War

Spurred on by damning reports that disgraced Rep. George Santos allegedly stole $3,000 from Richard Oesthoff, a veteran who raised funds to save the life of his dying service dog, Nassau County Assemblyman Joshua A. Lafazan (D-Woodbury) joined the voters to present a $27,000 Donation to Paws of War—a Nesconset organization that helps train and house service dogs with veterans—on Wednesday, February 15th.

The success of the fundraiser, which began Jan. 18, has greatly overshadowed lawmaker Lafazan’s original goal of $3,000, the amount Santos is accused of stealing from Mr. Oosthoff. The $27,000 amount is a combination of Mr. Larry Sarf’s private donations and proceeds from a GoFundMe fundraiser sponsored by Lawmaker Lafazan’s office.

“You think of the moral bankruptcy a man would have to take from such a vulnerable and service dog that was so important to his quality of life,” lawmaker Lafazan said. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we have raised $3,000 and more. We’ve now raised over $27,000 for this amazing nonprofit – money that came from people who didn’t like what George Santos did and wanted to do their part to make things right.”

The Paws of War donation, spearheaded by legislator Lafazan, comes after POLITICO reported that George Santos was charged with theft in 2017 in connection with a separate animal-related incident in which he allegedly paid $15,000 in bad money. checks to steal puppies from Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania. — and then fraudulently dropped the charge by telling prosecutors that he “worked for the SEC.”