The FBI is reportedly looking into the allegations that embattled Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) stole funds to collect for surgery to save the life of a disabled veteran’s service dog.
U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff told Politico that two agents representing the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York have contacted him and requested text messages exchanged with Santos in 2016 about the incident.
Osthoff said he was connected that year to the charity Friends of Pets United, which was run by Santos under the name Antony Devolder. Veterans are hoping to find the $3,000 they need to pay for surgery for their service dog, Sapphire, who has a life-threatening stomach tumor.
Osthoff and another New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt. Michael Boll, told Patch that the current congressman offered to set up a GoFundMe page for dogs in May 2016. But after the fundraiser reached a goal, he disappeared with the funds, they alleged.
Osthoff said he contacted Santos to schedule a medical procedure; Santos recommended going to another vet clinic he was familiar with, who then said they couldn’t do the surgery. After that, Santos became harder to contact and later claimed the charity would use the money for “another dog,” Osthoff said.
Sapphire died the following year.
Osthoff said he was relieved that Federal investigators are looking into the matter.
“I’m worried that what happened to me has taken too long to be prosecuted,” he told Politico.
Santos told ABC News on Wednesday that he does not remember meeting Osthoff and that federal investigators have not yet contacted him about the reported investigation.
Santos previously denied involvement in the alleged fraud, calling reports detailing the incident “shocking” and “crazy.”
Osthoff shared with Patch some of the text messages Santos spoke to.
A Nov. 13, 2016, message allegedly shows Osthoff asking Santos to take Sapphire to another vet and reminding Santos that the fundraiser is on behalf of the dog.
But Santos allegedly hit back, claiming that it was her charity’s “credibility” that made people donate money.
Santos “voluntarily” resigned from a House committee earlier this week, days after the Justice Department signaled it would launch an investigation into congressional campaign finances and told the Federal Exchange Commission not to investigate itself.
Santos has been appointed to the Science, Space and Technology panel and the Small Business Committee.
New York Democratic congressman have also requested The House Ethics Committee is reviewing Santos’ financial disclosures.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has rejected calls to sack Santos, but recently indicated that he will seek to remove the congressman.
“If some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him,” he said last month, according to The Hill, without giving details on the timeline of the investigation.
Santos is the subject of another local investigation in the US as well as a fraud case in Brazil.