Howell Veteran Says Fund For His Sick Dog Misused By George Santos

HOWELL, NJ — A disabled veteran from Howell is the latest person to accuse New York Rep. George Santos of fraud.

Richard Osthoff says Santos in May 2016, using the name of Anthony Devolder, assured him he could raise money for surgery to remove a tumor from his service dog, Sapphire.

Read the full Patch story about Osthoff and his dog here.

Anthony Devolder is one of the names that Long Island Rep. George Santos used before entering politics in 2020.

Santos now faces multiple criminal investigations after reports surfaced that he fabricated much of his resume during his congressional campaign. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Long Island are calling for him to resign.

In 2016, Osthoff had hit hard times. He was homeless at the time, living in a tent off of Route 9 in Howell with Sapphire. A veteran's charity gave the pit mix to Osthoff, he told Patch.

He was a disabled veteran who was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2002, he said.

When Sapphire developed a life-threatening stomach tumor, Osthoff, now 47, learned the surgery would cost $3,000. A veterinary technician took Osthoff aside and told him, "'I know a guy who runs a pet charity who can help you,'" Osthoff said.

His name was Anthony Devolder, and his pet charity was called Friends of Pets United, the vet tech told him.

Osthoff and another New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt. Michael Boll, who tried to intervene to help Osthoff in 2016, told Patch that Santos closed the GoFundMe he set up for Sapphire after it raised $3,000 on social media and disappeared. Boll said Devolder never answered texts or calls.

Sapphire died Jan. 15, 2017.

Osthoff, after being out of work with a broken leg for over a year, couldn't afford the dog's euthanasia and cremation, he said.

"I had to panhandle. It was one of the most degrading things I ever had to do," he told Patch in the article.

In the course of many texts with Santos - or Devolder, Osthoff tried to arrange help for Sapphire. Devolder insisted he had to be treated at a Queens veterinary practice, but the doctor there would not operate - unlike what Osthoff had been told in Howell. There were other roadblocks created for the dog's care, Osthoff told Patch.

As the months passed, Sapphire's chances of survival grew smaller. She died in January 2017.

Osthoff told Patch he was "crying his eyes out remembering Sapphire's last day."

"Little girl 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. I loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized," he said.