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Disgraced Rep. George Santos allegedly conned a disabled, homeless veteran out of thousands of dollars donated to save the man’s dying service dog, according to a stomach-turning report.

The alleged account adds to Santos’ growing list of shady behavior from a largely forged resume to fabricated Jewish heritage which has entangled the freshman congressman since he was elected to represent parts of Long Island and Queens.

The veteran, Richard Osthoff, told the local news site Patch that he met Santos, who introduced himself as Anthony Devolder, during a tough time in his life in May 2016.

Osthoff, who was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002, was living in a tent on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire at the time, Patch reported. There are no official records of George Santos’ animal charity “Friends of Pets United” being registered as a tax-exempt organization or charity.AP

Sapphire was suffering from a life-threatening stomach tumor that was growing by the day and surgery to remove the tumor would cost $3,000, according to the vet’s estimate, Osthoff said.

The veteran, who couldn’t afford the surgery, said a veterinary technician took him aside and offered assistance via a pet charity called Friends of Pets United run by Anthony Devolder, an alias used by Santos in the past.

Devolder set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for Sapphire and once it hit its goal of $3,000, he closed and deleted the fundraising page and became hard to reach before he disappeared altogether, Osthoff told Patch. Richard Osthoff promoted the GoFundMe on Facebook in 2016.Facebook/Richard Osthoff

The Navy vet, now 47, never saw a penny of the donations and his beloved service dog died on Jan. 15, 2017, according to the outlet.

“Little girl never left my side in 10 years,” Osthoff told Patch. “I went through two bouts of seriously considering suicide, but thinking about leaving her without me saved my life. I loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized.”

His account was corroborated by fellow veteran and retired New Jersey police Sgt. Michael Boll, who told Patch when he heard what happened, tried to help Osthoff by reaching out to Santos. Fundraising for Sapphire achieved its goal in June 2016.Facebook/Richard Osthoff

“I contacted [Santos] and told him ‘You’re messing with a veteran,’ and that he needed to give back the money or use it to get Osthoff another dog,” Boll said. “He was totally uncooperative on the phone.”

Osthoff said Santos requested he take Sapphire to a Queens’ veterinarian instead of the New Jersey practice because he had “credit” with the practice in the Big Apple.

The vet tech who told Osthoff about Santos’ charity drove the pair to the Queens practice, where a vet said Sapphire’s tumor was inoperable.

Santos claimed that he instead donated the $3,000 to other dogs in need because Sapphire wasn’t a candidate for surgery and Osthoff didn’t do things his way, according to a text exchange viewed by Patch. Sapphire died on Jan. 15, 2017, after battling a stomach tumor.Facebook/Richard Osthoff

After that, Osthoff was never able to reach Santos again.

There are no official records of Santos’ animal charity “Friends of Pets United” being registered as a tax-exempt organization or charity, according to the New York Times.

Another woman told the paper that she was scammed by the animal rescue group as well.

She was supposed to be the beneficiary of a 2017 fundraising event in which Santos charged $50 per person, but never received any of the funds. She told the Times that Santos offered excuse after excuse when asked about the funding.

Santos denied even knowing Osthoff when asked about the veteran’s claims.

“Fake,” the embattled lawmaker texted Semafor. “No clue who this is.”

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How much of the White House is Trump demolishing?

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How much of the White House is Trump demolishing?

👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 

Donald Trump begins bulldozing much of the White House as his plans to build a mega ballroom begin – without planning permission, nor true clarity as to how it’s all being funded.

There are aesthetic questions, historical questions and ethical questions. We dig into what they are.

And – who is the young Democratic socialist about to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor? We tell you everything you need to know about Zohran Mamdani.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel – and watch David Blevins’ digital video on the White House ballroom here.

Email us on trump100@sky.uk with your comments and questions.

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Sports

Sharks see into future as Celebrini, Smith key win

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Sharks see into future as Celebrini, Smith key win

NEW YORK — Mired in a six-game losing streak to start another rebuilding season, the San Jose Sharks had two young franchise cornerstones deliver exactly the kind of performances the team is hoping to get from them for the next decade or more.

Macklin Celebrini had a hat trick and set up Will Smith‘s overtime goal to give the 2024 No. 1 pick his second five-point game early in his second NHL season, and the Sharks are no longer the only team in the league without a victory. Oh, and it came at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, who were looking to win at home for the first time this fall.

“It’s good to see the young guys firing like that,” said enforcer Ryan Reaves, whose early fight against Matt Rempe on Thursday night fired up the Sharks. “We need those guys to step up in big games, and they both did.”

Reaves threw his helmet onto the ice to celebrate Celebrini’s third goal of the night late in the second period.

“I was just making sure there was something on the ice for him,” Reaves said. “I didn’t know how far up the Sharkie fans were, if they had good arms or not, so I was just making sure there was one on there for him.”

There were a few others to clean up, though many more when Taylor Raddysh of the Rangers got his third for dueling hat tricks at the Garden. But Celebrini stole the show by assisting on Smith’s goal in the third period and then again in OT.

“It speaks for itself, to be honest, to do that at MSG on a huge stage,” said Smith, who had four points in his own right. “In a game where we needed him, he showed up.”

Counting a point from 2025 No. 2 pick Michael Misa, the Sharks got 10 from players age 20 or younger for the second time since April. The last team to do that before them was Toronto on Jan. 8, 1986.

“When you draft them that high, you expect them to perform like that and they’ve proven time and time again why they were drafted that high and why all that was going to be put on their shoulders,” Reaves said. “It’s great to see.”

It came against the backdrop of San Jose starting 0-4-2 – the fourth consecutive season the team has lost at least four in a row at the beginning. After his team’s morning skate, second-year coach Ryan Warsofsky offered an optimistic message.

“We’re not going to quit,” Warsofsky said. “There’s still a lot of hockey to be played. We’re going to keep going. We’re going to keep pushing and challenging and we’re going to get out of this together.”

It was fitting that the most important building blocks led the way. The Sharks have not made the playoffs for the past six years and are not expected to again this season, but they do hope to take a step forward in the process of growing into a contender again.

In an effort to do that, they added veterans like Reaves and Stanley Cup champion defenseman Dmitry Orlov to the mix.

“We have a great group,” said Barclay Goodrow, who won the Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020 and ’21 and landed with the Sharks when they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers in the summer of ’24. “Lots of youth that keeps us old guys younger. It’s fun coming to the rink every day.”

Celebrini and Smith had some fun out on the town in New York City during this swing, which also included a team outing to see “Book of Mormon” on Broadway. A song from the show played in the victorious visiting locker room after the 6-5 win.

“Felt like it brought the boys together a little bit,” Reaves said. “It might be the new one.”

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Politics

Polymarket bets that Sam Bankman-Fried gets pardon surge to 12%

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Polymarket bets that Sam Bankman-Fried gets pardon surge to 12%

Polymarket bets that Sam Bankman-Fried gets pardon surge to 12%

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s odds on Polymarket of being pardoned by US President Trump have more than doubled to around 12% after Changpeng Zhao was pardoned.

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