Madison Cawthorn is still with us. Although he lost his primary bid last spring it feels like forever since we heard anything from the troubled former North Carolina representative. Cawthorn was the subject of scandals and lascivious allegations wherever he went. Cawthorn was a driver with a suspended license and had a TSA-confiscated firearm. He also allegedly insider traded on a cryptocurrency scheme.
Rep. George Santos (R.N.Y.), has taken over the role of Cawthorn. Santos has added his own scandal to the news. Biden-level lies have been made by Santos about almost everything on his resume, and his biography, which includes his Jewish (sorry Jewish) heritage.
A new accusation has been made against Santos, and it could make the congressman’s reputation worse than Cawthorn’s.
Now, a disabled veteran claims that Santos stole $3,000 from him. Santos claimed that he would help the veteran pay for treatment for cancer, but instead took $3,000 and fled.
“In May 2016, Richard Osthoff was living in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire. A veteran’s charity gave the pit mix to Osthoff, a disabled veteran who was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2002,” reports Jacqueline Sweet at Patch.
Santos claimed to be Anthony Devolder, and that he represented Friends of Pets United. He set up a GoFundMe account to help Osthoff raise the funds he needed to save his dog’s life. According to the New York Times, Friends of Pets United doesn’t have a New York registration as a non-profit.
The GoFundMe appeal began with the following: “Dear all. When a veteran asks for help, how can they say no?” Osthoff claims that Santos/Devolder stopped answering phones after the GoFundMe campaign was launched and money started coming in.
Osthoff said that he only spoke to Osthoff two to three times by phone. After the GoFundMe campaign reached its goals, the entry vanished. Santos also changed the site for the procedure. Osthoff was even informed by Santos that he could not be there for his own dog’s surgery.
Patch reports that Osthoff claimed Santos became difficult after that. Osthoff sent Patch a text in November saying, “I feel like I was taken for my family and friends’ donations. ‘”
Later, Santos stated that the vet couldn’t perform on the dog and that the charity would use the money to help another animal. Osthoff sought the assistance of a retired police sergeant. Michael Boll told Santos that he was “playing with a veteran” but it didn’t work. Boll stated that the dog died in 2017 but that Osthoff was able to obtain a new service dog immediately.
Patch reports that Osthoff and Boll saw Santos on television on December 20, 2022, following the scandal surrounding his resume fabrications. They called one another, shocked to find the Anthony Devolder, who raised the money many years before,” Patch reports.
Osthoff didn’t get his money and Santos somehow got to Congress. Many of us wonder if Santos’ story can get worse.
