The FBI has approached a Navy veteran, Richard Osthoff, in connection with a probe into controversial Rep. George Santos and a GoFundMe campaign to gather funds for Osthoff’s sick service dog.

Osthoff verified the call from the FBI, and people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the focus of the inquiry. These developments add to the growing number of legal problems and scandals that Santos is dealing with. Santos is suspected of cheating a disabled and homeless veteran of $3,000 that was donated for his cancer-stricken service dog.

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Who is Richard Osthoff?

U.S. Navy veteran Mr. Richard Osthoff revealed to Patch.com that he discovered an animal welfare organization called Friends of Pets United. Richard Osthoff, now 47, was shocked to find that the surgery for his dog Sapphire’s life-threatening stomach tumor would cost $3,000 to perform. Osthoff recalled that a veterinary technician approached him and said, “I know a guy who runs a pet charity who can help you.”

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This guy was Anthony Devolder. That was an alias used in the past by Santos, whose full name is George Anthony Devolder Santos. Osthoff claimed that Devolder created a GoFundMe page for Sapphire, shut it down when it reached $3,000, and never handed Osthoff the funding for the operation on his dog. After a few months, Sapphire passed away.

Santos asserted that he has “no clue” who Osthoff is and denied the accusation. Benjy Sarlin of Semafor, however, brought attention to a tweet from 2016 that “Anthony Devolder” had posted promoting a charity event for animals.

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Santos, who was elected to the House in November, has drawn criticism after it was discovered that he had greatly misrepresented his life story. Additionally, he is under investigation for a $705,000 loan he provided to his 2022 campaign despite declaring to have no assets and a $55,000 income in 2020.