(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – The FBI has reached out to a Navy veteran, Richard Osthoff, who has accused Long Island Representative George Santos of swindling him out of thousands of dollars meant to save his dying service dog.
The Brooklyn US Attorney’s office is investigating the case against the lying Republican lawmaker.
Osthoff has claimed that in 2016, Santos started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for surgery to remove a tumor from his service dog Sapphire. However, after the fundraiser hit its goal of $3,000, Santos closed and deleted the page, became difficult to reach, and made off with the money.
Santos, who was using the name Anthony Devolder at the time, started the fundraiser under the name of Friends of Pets United, which was not a registered charity, according to the New York Times.
Osthoff has provided the FBI with text messages between him and Santos from 2016 and expressed relief about getting the case underway.
“I’m glad to get the ball rolling with the big-wigs,” Osthoff told Politico. “I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted.”
Sapphire died from the tumor in 2017, which left Osthoff feeling suicidal.
Santos has denied the allegations and claimed that he is not a criminal. He tweeted in January that the reports were shocking and insane and that his work in animal advocacy was a labor of love and hard work.
Santos admitted to lying to New York’s 3rd District voters about his work history, education, and religion, among other things, in December.
On Tuesday, he announced that he is stepping away from his congressional committee assignments to avoid becoming a further distraction for House Republicans.
The Department of Justice has asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on any enforcement action against Santos while federal investigators continue their criminal probe into his activities.
Santos is being investigated at the county, state, and federal levels. Investigators are reportedly eager to learn more about the over $700,000 listed in campaign finance documents as personal loans to his campaign.
