Rep. George Santos received another bruise to the peach of his reputation this week after news emerged that he was linked to a series of bad checks written in 2017.
According to a report from Politico, the New York Congressman faced a Pennsylvania court on a theft charge when the checks amounting to $15,125, written in his name to Amish dog breeders, did not clear.
Calling upon the help of a lawyer friend after being served an extradition warrant in 2020, Santos contested the charge saying that his checkbook had been stolen and it was ultimately dismissed and his record was expunged.
Tiffany Bogosian, the lawyer who aided in the theft case, has since told CNBC that she regrets helping him.
"I should have let him go to hell," Bogosian said on Thursday after the 2017 charge was brought to the public's attention.
Bogosian has shown proof of the checks, which include "puppies" in the memo, as well as corresponding bank statements.
It's alleged that days after the bad puppy checks were issued, the Instagram account of a Staten Island pet store posted images of Santos at a pet-adoption event for his charity, Friends of Pets United.
According to Bogosian, Santos told her that he had not been aware of the checks until he'd been served the warrant and after speaking to a Pennsylvania state police trooper on his behalf, Santos claims to have told prosecutors he worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission and got them to drop the charges at that time, per CNBC.
"I feel terrible, I should have just let him return to the warrant," Bogosian said.
This news comes after an investigation was opened by the FBI involving an alleged GoFundMe scheme Santos is linked to in which a Navy veteran claims he stole thousands of dollars intended to go towards a lifesaving surgery for his service dog.
