George Santos took $3,000 from dying dog's GoFundMe, veterans say - CNN

CNN  — 

Two New Jersey veterans accidental now-Congressman George Santos promised to rise funds for lifesaving country for 1 of their dogs successful 2016, past became elusive and took disconnected with the money.

Santos, the embattled freshman Republican, faces increasing unit to resign aft helium lied and misrepresented his educational, enactment and household history. Santos has admitted to “embellishing” his resume, but has maintained helium is “not a criminal.”

Rich Osthoff, a US Navy veteran, told CNN his pit bull Sapphire began processing a tumor successful 2015, and it continued to turn successful 2016. Osthoff said helium was homeless, surviving successful a tent, astatine the clip aft losing his occupation and house.

Osthoff’s mentor and person Michael Boll, laminitis of New Jersey Veterans Network, told CNN helium took Osthoff nether his helping arsenic portion of the charity’s mentorship programme and tried to get assistance for his dog.

Boll said a communal person connected the 2 veterans with Santos, who told them Santos was often progressive with helping and rescuing animals. Boll and Osthoff some knew Santos by the sanction Anthony Devolder, they said.

Santos acceptable up a GoFundMe for Osthoff’s pit bull, Sapphire, Boll said. A station from the Facebook illustration of George Devolder links to a GoFundMe raising country funds for the dog.

“Sapphire is simply a 10 twelvemonth aged reddish chemoreceptor pit bull that has been keeping this antheral company, she dose [sic] not merit to dice due to the fact that of this tumor, she deserves to beryllium treated and cared for,” the Facebook station reads successful part. “Will you assistance this babe and her daddy enactment unneurotic for a fewer much years? Does helium not merit to person her? Let’s each travel unneurotic to assistance this household of 2 enactment healthy!” the station says.

CNN has reached retired to Santos’ lawyer and his legislature bureau for comment. Santos told the quality outlet Semafor that the story, archetypal reported by Patch.com, was “fake” and that helium had “no hint who this is.”

The fundraiser yet raised astir $3,000, according to Boll.

But things went southbound aft Osthoff tried to entree the GoFundMe money, helium said.

Santos became uncooperative, according to Osthoff and Boll – astatine archetypal saying Osthoff needed to instrumentality his canine to a veterinary session of Santos’ choice, past claiming different session wouldn’t judge Santos’ signifier of payment.

“I had to leap done hoops and bash everything his way,” Osthoff told CNN. “He was conscionable wholly ,totally difficult. One obstacle aft another.”

At 1 point, Santos told Osthoff straight that helium wouldn’t beryllium getting the money. Osthoff said helium accused Santos of moving a bogus charity, and Santos became confrontational.

“He got truthful aggravated with maine and helium blew up and refused to springiness maine the wealth and past conscionable wouldn’t reply the calls anymore,” helium said.

In a connection to CNN, GoFundMe said it removed the fundraiser from its level aft receiving a study astir it.

“When we received a study of an contented with this fundraiser successful precocious 2016, our spot and information squad sought impervious of the transportation of funds from the organizer. The organizer failed to respond, which led to the fundraiser being removed and the email associated with that relationship prohibited from further usage connected our platform. GoFundMe has a zero tolerance argumentation for misuse of our level and cooperates with instrumentality enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.”

Boll tried to enactment arsenic a mediator betwixt the two, helium said, with nary luck.

“Anthony beauteous overmuch was unhappy with thing I was saying and was reluctant to adjacent talk with maine anymore,” Boll said.

Santos yet stopped replying to messages from Boll and Osthoff, and Osthoff says helium ne'er received outgo from the fundraiser.

Osthoff said his canine passed distant astir six months aft his past interaction with Santos.

His dog, Sapphire, “was my small savior,” helium told CNN. “She kept maine connected this planet.”

Osthoff said helium had to panhandle for the wealth to wage for her euthanization.

Osthoff said helium contacted the constabulary astir his interactions with Santos but said “it didn’t spell anyplace astatine all.”

Because Santos went by a antithetic sanction erstwhile the 2 veterans were successful interaction with him, Osthoff said helium didn’t cognize Anthony Devolder and George Santos were the aforesaid idiosyncratic until recently.

“In December I started seeing him connected TV,” Osthoff told CNN. “I recognized his face, and it conscionable turned my tummy erstwhile I saw him.”

“That helium was present fixed a presumption wherever helium affects thousands of people’s lives…it’s truly disheartening to cognize that,” Boll said.