The FBI contacted Navy veteran Richard Ostoff as part of an investigation into beleaguered Congressman George Santos and a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Ostoff’s ailing service dog. rice field.
Osthoff confirmed a call from the FBI, and a source familiar with the matter confirmed the nature of the investigation.
The new recruit claims he is not a “criminal” and says he will resign if he is not re-elected. I admitted that I lied and apologized.
Santos, using the name Anthony Devolder, ran a GoFundMe account in 2016 under the auspices of the charity Friends of Pets United, ostensibly to help Osthoff pay for the removal surgery, according to an earlier ABC News report. Raised about $3,000 to help cover the costs. A tumor from his dog.
Osthoff told ABC News that Santos didn’t give him the money and ignored text messages about it.
“I don’t want to see anyone else go through this again, especially another veteran,” Osthoff said.
Osthoff told ABC News that he was “happy to get the ball rolling with Bigwig” due to the FBI’s involvement.
“I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted,” he added.
A GoFundMe spokesperson declined to comment on details, but said the company would cooperate with any investigation.
Santos’ campaign previously described Friends of Pets United as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, but IRS records do not list the charity by that name.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the Republican caucuses on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 25, 2023.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Santos told ABC News on Wednesday that he didn’t know about the FBI investigation and said of Osthoff, “I don’t remember seeing him.” I was providing a text that said it was.
When asked if he was worried about being charged, Santos replied, “I have no clue. I don’t know what it is.”
He also told ABC News that he had not been contacted by anyone regarding the investigation.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating Santos, including the charity, which is also part of an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office, according to sources familiar with both investigations.
Spokesmen for both the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI’s New York field office declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
The FBI’s work on Osthov was first reported by Politico.
In December, when reports surfaced that Santos was fabricating parts of his life story, he told the New York Post he was sorry for “glorification” but said: rice field. [controversy] It does not impede the success of legislation. It works. I’ll be fine ”
