FBI investigating Santos for stealing $3,000 from homeless veteran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Feb 2023 08:38

The FBI is investigating Rep. George Santos for allegedly stealing a homeless veteran's GoFundMe campaign funds.

Rep. George Santos in Washington. (Getty Images)

Reports revealed on Thursday that a GoFundMe campaign raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for a dying assistance dog owned by a handicapped homeless US Navy veteran, but the funds were never delivered to the Navy vet. After that, Santos stopped replying to his texts.

The FBI has opened an inquiry against controversial Rep. George Santos over his suspected role in the fundraising scheme.

Last week, Richard Osthoff told the media that Santos, who is already embroiled in a slew of scandals, helped him gather funds to save his dying service dog using GoFundMe in 2016. Osthoff, who was homeless at the time, claimed Santos went by the alias "Anthony Devolder."

He had allegedly set up and raised about $3,000 for the veteran’s service dog, named Sapphire, who had developed a tumor in 2015. However, speculations suggest that Santos took off with the funds and ghosted the veteran.

Sapphire died about six months after Osthoff's last correspondence with Santos.

Since then, Osthoff handed over text messages between him and Santos from 2016 to two FBI agents who are now investigating Santos' role in the scheme.

He was contacted by the agents on Wednesday on behalf of the US Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York, according to Politico.

“I’m glad to get the ball rolling with the big-wigs,” Osthoff said in an interview Wednesday. “I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted.”

Reps. Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman applauded the inquiry after calling for a Federal Election Commission investigation into Santos' campaign financing last month, following Santos' admission on the campaign trail that he lied about his degree and employment experience.

In an interview, Torres reported that only US attorneys are capable of moving at the speed that’s necessary. “There’s no one that poses a greater threat in Congress than Santos. It’s undeniable that he’s broken the law. We have to protect Congress from George Santos, who threatens it from within,” Torres added.

In a separate interview, Goldman suggested that "a serial liar like Santos" is still walking the halls of the Capitol, adding that it is imperative that the Justice Department move quickly to determine whether an indictment is appropriate or not.

At least 78% of Santos' constituents in New York now say he should quit. Santos temporarily recused himself from his committee obligations on Tuesday due to the continuing investigations.

Earlier, two sources revealed that Santos was a drag queen in Brazilian beauty pageants 15 years ago, adding to the Republican congressman's pile of secrets.

His attorney has declined to comment on the current investigation, as Santos has rejected charges that he stole money from the veteran's benefit.

According to Joshua Schiller, a senior trial lawyer, the claims emanating from the GoFundMe scheme may result in a variety of crimes, including wire, mail, and bank fraud. "I believe there is a sense of urgency here because Santos is now in a position to draft laws," Schiller added.

“I can think of examples where the government used a lesser indictment to seize assets and try to cause the defendant to plea to a deal before bringing a second or third indictment on more serious charges, and I bet that is the case here.”