- More and more people are accusing George Santos of pocketing pet funds.
- Veterinary technician Andrea dos Santos said he never received $2,165 for the pet shelter.
- “It was excuse after excuse,” de Santos told the New York Times.
More and more people are questioning whether Congressman George Santos really rescued 2,500 animals or just pocketed the money he raised for pets.
new york times We spoke to several people who have worked with Santos at a charity called Friends of Pets United.
A Times source said he believes Santos has saved far fewer animals than “2,400 dogs and 280 cats.” claim in 2020 what you saved Sources also said they had received no money from fundraising campaigns run by Santos, or much less than they had been promised.
Veterinary technician Andrea Dos Santos told The Times that Santos offered to help finance her farm in New Jersey in 2017. He said he sold tickets for $50 to a barbecue with live music and drinks. According to Dos Santos, the proceeds from the event were to be used to build new shelters for abused pets.
Dos Santos said it has raised $2,165. However, she never received the money from Santos, who processed her funds. She told The Times that she found it difficult to contact Santos after her fundraiser.
“It was excuse after excuse,” Dos Santos said.
Regina Spadavecchia, who runs a Bronx pet rescue called bully feet and claws, told The Times that she accepted Santos’ offer to help raise funds in March 2017. Spadavecchia said Santos held a $5 raffle on Facebook for dinner cruises and Broadway tickets, and she sued for funds for the 12 dogs in Spadavecchia’s care.
Spadavecchia said Santos only sent her about $400 instead of the thousands he promised her.
“If you’re doing a fundraiser in my name, claiming you can make $2,000, and you’re sending me $400, something is wrong,” Spadavecchia told the New York Times. “You’re either bragging about what you can’t do or you’re putting your money aside. I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, Monica Cunha, one of Santos’ acquaintances on Facebook, told The Times that Santos insisted that he accept dogs whose owners were unable to care for them. I rarely post about the adoption process.
according to Washington PostSantos said on his campaign website in November 2020 that he “founded and operated a non-profit 501(c)(3) called Friends of Pets United (FOPU) from 2013 to 2018.” claimed.
a Survey on December 19 The Times has revealed that Friends of Pets United is not an animal rescue organization registered in New York.
The FBI also launched an investigation in January into whether Santos received more than $3,000 from a GoFundMe fundraiser for veterans’ dogs. Politico.
Santos denies veteran Rich Osthoff fraudulent money from its GoFundMe page.Congressman murmured On January 20, he thought the report that he had let the dog die was “shocking and insane.”
“My work in animal advocacy has been a labor of love and hard work,” Santos writes.
Santos admits to lying about various elements of his past. go to college, being Jewish, and has worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Despite these scandals, Santos has refused to resign his seat in Congress, saying he will only do so if requested by those who voted for him in New York.
A Santos representative did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment.