Veteran who says Santos stole from his dying dog denounces Trump clemency
A veteran who claims former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) stole thousands of dollars from a fundraiser for his dying dog in 2016 slammed President Trump commuting the convicted felon’s sentence.
Navy veteran Richard Osthoff told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing on Monday that he had not eaten since Trump granted clemency to Santos on Friday and said the president “[stuck] me in the gut with a knife.”
“This is disgraceful. President Trump, this is another thing in the long line of his disrespect for our military and our veterans,” Osthoff added. He also said Trump is “using his pardon power like a cudgel against everything that’s decent, good and holy.”
In 2023, Osthoff and retired police Sgt. Michael Boll told Patch that seven years prior, Santos — calling himself Anthony Devolder — closed a GoFundMe page he set up for Osthoff’s tumor-stricken dog, Sapphire, after it raised $3,000.
Sapphire eventually died in January 2017, with Osthoff saying he had to “panhandle” to pay for the dog’s euthanasia and cremation.
Santos, 37, served just under three months of an 87-month sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, charges he pleaded guilty to in August 2024.
According to a copy of the commutation Pardon Attorney Ed Martin posted to the social platform X on Friday, Santos no longer has to pay the roughly $374,000 in restitution he owes to those he defrauded during his initial run for Congress.
Santos told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that he will only pay the restitution if he is required by law. But Osthoff believes he has no plans to do so.
“His whole thing is about keeping money away from people that he owes money to,” he said. “I’m not surprised that he doesn’t want to pay them back. He’s laughing all the way to the bank right now.”
Osthoff said that after he went public with the allegations against Santos in 2023, he got a new dog through Beth Ostrosky Stern, the wife of radio host Howard Stern. Osthoff now lives in New Jersey with three dogs.
The Navy veteran added that many people, some of whom he does not know personally, have reached out via phone or letter to check in since he went public. He still, though, harbors anger towards Santos.
“I love [Sapphire], and I’m over it, for the most part, but it still hurts. Every time I see him,” Osthoff said.