Alleged George Santos scam victims speak out
Embattled Rep. George Santos has been under fire from nearly the moment he was elected last year and is now under investigation over possible ethics violations.
Constituents, watchdog groups, and several Washington D.C. leaders including members of his own Republican party, have chastised him for lying about his previous jobs, and even his religion.
But for some people who interacted with Santos in the past, and alleged to have been scammed by him, his lies were personal.
Richard Osthoff, a Navy veteran, told "Impact x Nightline," he received nothing from Santos' charity in 2016 after Santos promised to raise money for the vet’s sick pit bull Sapphire. The dog would later die from its illness.
"Everything about him is fake, phony, horrible, destructive, [and] hurtful. He doesn't represent the values of our country," Osthoff told ABC News' Rachel Scott.
"Impact x Nightline" shares Osthoff's story and others who claim they were lied to by Santos alleged scams in an episode now streaming on Hulu.
"It's painful for me to be in front of cameras rehashing it all over again. I don't want to go through this, but somebody had to say something," Osthoff said.
The veteran says he was struggling with depression during his eight-year service with the Navy before he was honorably discharged. Osthoff said the loss of purpose set him spiraling.
But Sapphire helped change his life, according to Osthoff.
"She would know when I was going through a mood swing. She'd wake me up when I would have a nightmare. Whenever I'd start getting really manic, or depressed, she would just be all over me. I couldn't ignore her," he said.
Osthoff would end up homeless and in 2016 found out that Sapphire needed surgery costing $3,000 for a life-threatening medical condition.
That’s when Osthoff said a veterinarian technician gave him a tip about a non-profit foundation called "Friends of Pets United," or FOPU, run by a man named Anthony Devolder.
He said Devolder, whose full name Ostoff later found out is George Anthony Devolder Santos, promised to raise money to help pay for the cost of the surgery.
Osthoff said aside from one phone call, he communicated with Santos via text messages about the fundraiser, which he said was a success.
However, Osthoff said Santos never gave him a dime and became aggressive in his messages anytime he tried to follow up.
"I am a well known and public person. I have done rescues for many years and have a very reputable name for myself," according a text Ostroff says he received from Santos. "I don’t benefit from a dime! Matter [of] fact I’m very well off myself and I put in 30% of my annual income to FOPU."
"I didn't mean anything to him. But that dog meant everything to me. He’s soulless," Osthoff said.
In January, Osthoff learned that FOPU never filed paperwork with the IRS to be a 501(c)(3) charity. This was around the same time he learned that the person he knew aas Anthony Devolder was the freshman Congressman from Long Island.
Osthoff said he felt a chill up his spine when he saw Santos in the news after he assumed office, but also felt some relief. He told ABC News he has spoken to the FBI about his incident.
"Now I know who he is. Now I can finally get the police involved if it's not too late," he said.
A source close to the GoFundMe situation confirmed to ABC News that Santos ran the account to help Sapphire.
When asked about Osthoff's allegations in February, Santos denied ever meeting Osthoff.
"I have no clue, I don’t know what it’s about," he said.
Osthoff isn’t the only one who says he was wronged by Rep. Santos.
Yasser Rabello told "Impact x Nightline" that he created a WhatsApp group with people who knew or interacted with Santos in the past. Rabello lived with Santos and his mother in Queens 10 years ago and said Santos would constantly lie to him about his work and his college education.
"Do you think that he’s dangerous?" ABC News' Rachel Scott asked.
"Not really dangerous, but as long as he stays in Congress, who knows what kind of power he can acquire," Rabello said. "And maybe he can become dangerous in the future. That's why we [are] trying to stop him as soon as we can."
Adrianna Parizzi, who lives in Brazil, is one of the members of that WhatsApp group and told ABC News she met Santos and his mother while they were living in Brazil 15 years ago. Parizzi alleged that Santos stole from her, but said she didn't go to the police because she feared she wouldn’t be taken seriously.
ABC News has not been able to verify the alleged theft.
Parizzi said she was shocked that Santos was elected into office.
"I always thought the United States was a superpower? How come they didn't see? They didn't check his lies?" she said.
Santos declined to respond to comments to ABC News about Rabello and Parizzi's allegations. He told the New York Post that Parizzi's contentions were false.
Despite his denials, Santos, who has voluntarily and temporarily stepped down from his House committees, is already the subject of several probes into his alleged scams and ethics violations.
Brazilian authorities revived a 2008 case that alleged Santos forged checks. The Department of Justice, New York Attorney General's office, Nassau County DA, Queens County DA, and Federal Election Commission are looking into allegations of wrongdoing including fraud.
Federal authorities are looking into public filings by George Santos amid questions about the source of his wealth. In 2020, he reported he had a salary of $55,000 and listed no assets in publicly available filings. But in 2022, he valued his assets between $2.6 million and $11.25 million.
Last month, the House's Ethics Committee announced it is looking into whether Santos violated any laws or regulations including whether he "engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office."
Santos said he will comply with the investigation but has denied any wrongdoing.
Osthoff said he hopes that Santos faces the consequences of his alleged actions.
"He needs help. If sitting in a cell or sitting in a hospital room for a couple of years doesn't help him, I don't know what will," he said.
