George Santos was weeping “crocodile tears” at his sentencing, a Navy veteran who previously accused the lyin’ ex-pol of stealing thousands meant for his sick dog claimed on Friday.
Disabled, formerly homeless vet Richard Osthoff, 49, showed up to federal court in Central Islip and watched as his nemesis got hit with a hefty prison sentence — even after turning on the water works for the judge.
“That wasn’t real. He’s not remorseful. He’s crying because he knows that he’s getting bitten on the ass and he’s gotta go away now,” Osthoff said, adding bitterly, “Have fun, George.”
Osthoff – who claimed Santos helped him launch a GoFundMe for his dog and then swindled him out of the $3,000 raised – accused the wayward, openly-gay ex-Long Island Republican of putting on an emotional show in a bid to get a more lenient sentence.
But the judge didn’t buy it, slapping Santos with seven years and three months behind bars following his guilty plea to scamming donors to fund his 2022 winning campaign, lying about his wealth to Congress and collecting unemployment while he was actually working.
Osthoff said he was glad to see Santos, 36, finally get his comeuppance.
“It made me feel really, really good to see something finally happened to this guy,” he said.
“That just reminded me of when my dog died because of his deceit and deception, how I felt,” Osthoff said. “I was on my knees blubbering in the shower. So it was good to see that, It really was.”
Osthoff says he was homeless in New Jersey, sleeping in a tent with his dying service dog, Sapphire, in 2016 when a man calling himself Anthony Devolder, approached him.
Devolder — the name Santos went by before getting into politics — offered to connect Osthoff with a veterinarian who could help remove his pit bull’s aggressive and large stomach tumor, he said.
He also set up the online fundraising page for Osthoff and touted his charity Friends of Pets Unlimited.
But Osthoff said he never saw a penny of the money and his canine companion died before ever receiving the treatment Santos allegedly promised him.
The surgery could have extended the dog’s life a few more years while Osthoff trained up a new dog to help him with mental health problems he suffered after his years of military service, he said.
“I still miss that dog,” Osthoff said with tears in his eyes.
Santos strung him along for months, promising to send him the money, but never followed through, Osthoff claimed.
The homeless man had to beg for money just to come up with enough to put Sapphire down — since she was in so much pain, he added.
Santos has denied Osthoff’s claims, going on television 12 times to try to discredit Osthoff’s story and even his status as a veteran.
“The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work,” Santos said on X — then known as Twitter — in January 2023. “Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages. These distractions won’t stop me!”
Osthoff said he shared his communications with Santos with the investigators in the same office that handled the corruption case. But no criminal charges ever came of it.
He is no longer homeless and lives in New Jersey with three new dogs. Though money is still tight for Osthoff, he said what Santos did to him was so evil he was willing to pay whatever it took to see him get sentenced.
As Santos rushed out of the courthouse, dashing away in a car without answering reporters’ questions, Osthoff rushed the vehicle yelling, “F–k you, you killed my dog!”
The veteran says he plans to sue Santos for defamation and the $3,000 that Santos allegedly made off with after ghosting Osthoff.
An embattled Santos — who served a brief 11 months as the congressman for parts of Queens and Long Island before he was kicked out of office — pleaded guilty in August to wire fraud and identity theft.
He also infamously admitted to lying about his background including claiming he graduated from college when he hadn’t and saying he worked for financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, when he was never “directly” employed there.
Santos is slated to surrender to federal authorities to serve out his term on July 25.
It’s not clear yet which lockup he will be housed at, though he requested from the judge Friday to serve his time in the northeast.
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