A Navy veteran who alleges George Santos defrauded him says
Trump's commutation of Santos' sentence feels like a personal attack, calling
Trump a 'walking middle finger'.
Three days after Trump shortened Santos's seven-year, three-month jail sentence imposed on the former New York lawmaker in connection with federal fraud charges Richard Osthoff made tearful remarks on MSNBC's Chris Jansing Reports on Monday.
In the past, Osthoff has accused Santos of using the GoFundMe website to raise $3,000 in 2016 for the military veteran's dying assistance dog, Sapphire. However, according to Osthoff, Santos kept the money for himself, which is why Sapphire died charges that were never brought against him.
In an earlier text message to the publication Semafor,
Santos denied any wrongdoing and described "reports that I would let a dog
die … shocking and insane."
In 2022, Santos became the first Republican elected to Congress who was openly LGBTQ+. A House ethics committee revealed how Santos utilized campaign funds for expensive products, cosmetic procedures, and personal travel after he was found to have misled extensively about his biography.
In the end, he was ejected from Congress, entered a guilty plea to identity theft and wire fraud, was sent to a federal prison in New Jersey in July, and completed three months of his sentence until Trump commuted it on Friday. Santos was released from prison on Saturday as a result of Trump's commutation. Trump was convicted of falsifying corporate documents and went on to win a second term as president in 2024.
“He lied like hell,”
Trump said of his fellow Republican to Newsmax.
“But he was 100% for Trump.”
Santos’s release provoked criticism from both ends of the USpolitical spectrum. And on Monday, Osthoff joined that chorus, saying he was repulsed by the clemency Trump afforded Santos.
“I was really just sick to my stomach for the president of the United States to stick me in the gut with a knife,”
Osthoff remarked on Jansing’s show. Santos “should have done at least half of his seven years”, he said.
“This is disgusting.”
Osthoff also maintained Santos’ commutation was not the first time Trump had done something disrespectful to a military veteran. He alluded to a 2020 report that asserted Trump had insulted dead US troops as “suckers and losers” which the president has denied.
“It’s shameful and a disgrace – and I’m almost ashamed that I served my country now. This is not the country I raised my hand [to serve],”
Osthoff said.
“That man disrespects the military and veterans and just about everybody that doesn’t wear a redhat”
synonymous with his Make America great again slogan “every single day”.
“He’s a walking middle finger,”
Osthoff also said of Trump who has issued several other pardons and commutations since returning to the Oval Office in January, including to about 1,500 people who attacked the US Capitol in his name in early 2021.
In an appearance on CNN on Sunday, Santos contended that his prison term had been "disproportionate," despite the fact that it had humbled him.
On the Fox & Friends Weekend show on Sunday, he stated that he was no longer required to pay the almost $375,000 in restitution that he had consented to when he entered a guilty plea, in addition to $205,000 in forfeiture.
Santos returned to the Cameo website shortly after his release from prison. According to the website, it offers customized video messages from celebrities "for any occasion." "I would love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way – in a real, human way," he added in an interview with CNN.
What legal options does the veteran have after the commutation?
After the commutation of George Santos' judgment
by President Trump, the Navy veteran alleging fraud faces limited legal options
regarding the case as the commutation effectively ends Santos' civil
penalties. Still, the veteran could still pursue civil liabilities. He
may be suitable to file a civil action against Santos for fraud or breach
of contract to seek fiscal reparation or damages for the
alleged harm caused by the misappropriation of finances.
Commutation removes the discipline but doesn't abolish the conviction or civil liabilities associated with the crime. The veteran can work with a civil attorney to explore claims related to fraud, unjust enrichment, or other implicit causes of action grounded on the data of the case.
The veteran can report any ongoing fraudulent behavior to applicable state or original prosecutors who might pursue federal charges, if applicable.