January 18, 2023

Newly minted Republican Rep. George Santos has been out as a serial liar that has told falsehoods about every aspect of his life. He has (allegedly!) stolen from his friends, and that's his nice side. George has no evident redeemable qualities, and now we find he's even stolen from a dying service dog's GoFundMe page, according to two New Jersey veterans.

Patch reports:

In May 2016, Richard Osthoff was living in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire. A veteran's charity gave the pit mix to Osthoff, a disabled veteran who was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2002, he told Patch.

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 recounted.

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

Anthony Devolder is one of Santos' aliases.

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.

"He stopped answering my texts and calls," Osthoff said.

Osthoff couldn't afford his service dog's euthanasia and cremation after Sapphire died on Jan. 15, 2017. He had been out of work with a broken leg for over a year, so he said he 'had to panhandle. It was one of the most degrading things I ever had to do."

And this happened:

Santos is a perfect description of today's Republican party. He's a grifter, a liar, and a thief who lacks the empathy gene.

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