A New Alleged Blemish in George Santos' Backstory

He was charged with theft in 2017 in a case involving Amish dog breeders
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2023 1:00 AM CST
Latest George Santos Controversy Involves 2017 Theft Charge
FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The George Santos story continues to get stranger. Politico and CNBC report that the controversial Republican congressman was, in 2017, charged with theft in a case that was later dismissed. A total of $15,125 in bad checks were written in his name to Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania for, as was written on the memo lines of the checks, "puppies." Days after the checks were written, Santos and his animal rescue charity Friends of Pets United held an adoption event in a New York pet store. A person who attended that event, as well as the store's Instagram page, confirm the event was held, and a lawyer who was a friend of Santos' confirms she helped Santos address the charge against him years later.

Santos, who told his then-friend he hadn't known about the charge until years later when he was served with an extradition warrant related to it, claimed someone had stolen his checkbook. The case was ultimately dismissed and his record was expunged, but the attorney now says she doesn't believe Santos' story and wishes she hadn't helped him. The charge has not been publicly reported until now; it's the latest in a long string of controversies plaguing the new GOP representative. In fact, one of those controversies involves Friends of Pets United, which was reportedly not a registered charity. And the FBI is probing Santos' alleged role in a GoFundMe scam tangentially related to the supposed charity. (More George Santos stories.)

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