Navy vet says George Santos kept $3,000 raised to save his beloved, dying service dog


When Richard Osthoff's service dog, Sapphire, needed lifesaving surgery in May 2016, a veterinary technician in New Jersey took him aside and told him he knew a guy who runs a pet charity that could help raise the $3,000 to remove the stomach tumor, Osthoff tells local Long Island news site Patch. The guy was George Santos, who went by Anthony Devolder at the time, and the charity in question was Friends of Pets United. Santos is now in Congress, and House Republicans just put him on two committees despite his growing list of documented lies.
Osthoff is a disabled Navy veteran, and he was homeless at the time, unable to work due to a leg injury. Sapphire was a gift from a veterans' charity.
Santos agreed to raise the $3,000 and set up a GoFundMe page for Sapphire, but when that goal was reached, Santos never gave the money to Osthoff, according to Osthoff and a second New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt. Michael Boll. Osthoff also gave Patch's Jacqueline Sweet copies of text messages in which Santos claimed Friends of Pets United was a respected 501c3 — it was not a registered charity, The New York Times found — and would use the funds raised for Sapphire to help other dogs since, according to his own vet, Sapphire wasn't a candidate for surgery.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I contacted [Santos] and told him 'You're messing with a veteran,' and that he needed to give back the money or use it to get Osthoff another dog," Boll told Patch. "He was totally uncooperative on the phone." GoFundMe wasn't able to help at the time, he added. "I told Rich to go to the police, but we had limited information" about Santos.
Sapphire died in January 2017, without having undergone the surgery.
"I really felt bad for Rich," Boll told Patch. "He has PTSD, and this dog is his lifeline. When I first heard about it, I thought, this is going to kill him." Osthoff said Sapphire "never left my side in 10 years. I went through two bouts of seriously considering suicide, but thinking about leaving her without me saved my life." Read more about about Osthoff's Santos story at Patch.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
America's academic brain drain has begun
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the Trump administration targets universities and teachers, educators are eying greener academic pastures elsewhere — and other nations are starting to take notice
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Musk targeting a Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
Today's Big Question His money could help conservatives, but it could also produce a Democratic backlash
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How to pay off student loans
The explainer Don't just settle for the default repayment plan
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US officials share war plans with journalist in group chat
Speed Read Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal conversation about striking Yemen
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Canada's Mark Carney calls snap election
speed read Voters will go to the polls on April 28 to pick a new government
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk set to earn billions from Trump administration
Speed Read Musk's company SpaceX will receive billions in federal government contracts in the coming years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published