Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

George Santos allegedly used bad checks to steal puppies, says Amish breeder

Republican congressman is accused of running dog charity that scammed both breeders and pet owners

John Bowden
Washington DC
Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:14 EST
Comments
George Santos: The imposter in Congress | On The Ground

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Congressman George Santos bought a dog from an Amish breeder with a check that later bounced, the unnamed breeder told CNN this week.

In a new bizarre angle to the already questionable story of the pet charity Mr Santos has both claimed to, at different times, run or only worked for, an Amish man has told CNN that the now-House member visited his farm and purchased two puppies for thousands of dollars with checks that later bounced.

The network obtained multiple images of checks given to other Amish dog breeders in the region, in total equaling roughly $15,000. All bounced, according to CNN’s sources.

The unnamed man told CNN that a man whom he identified as Mr Santos visited his farm with a female accomplice and snatched two dogs which they had decided to purchase, placing them in their car before the transaction was even agreed upon. The man says he felt conned by the two, and forced to accept the check he suspected at the time would bounce because the man he says was Mr Santos offered no other payment.

“I’m disappointed that a person like that would have a chance to get in the House of Representatives,” the Amish man told CNN.

The Independent has reached out to the congressman’s office for comment.

The troubled New York representative faces calls for his resignations from both Democrats and Republican on the Hill; he was even confronted by Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney during the president’s State of the Union address and called an “ass” by the onetime presidential candidate.

He also faces an FBI investigation into the pet charity and potentially other issues, according to news reports, as well as an investigation launched by Nassau County’s district attorney.

Mr Santos has remained adamant that he will serve two years in Congress even as he enters his second month under an Ethics committee investigation and virtually excommunicated from his party’s establishment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in