The owner of a Pittsburgh funeral home dumped the remains of thousands of dogs and cats in a landfill after their owners had paid more than $650,000 for their cremation and burial — then handed them back the ashes of unknown animals, according to prosecutors in Pennsylvania.
Patrick Vereb, 70, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, was charged on Monday with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said in a statement.
Mr. Vereb surrendered Monday afternoon to the authorities and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said.
A lawyer for Mr. Vereb did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday. Mr. Vereb has a court hearing scheduled for May 9, according to court documents.
He is accused of stealing from over 6,500 customers who paid for the burial and cremation services of their pets from 2021 to 2024, prosecutors said.
“This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” said Dave Sunday, the state’s attorney general. “Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs.”
A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said on Tuesday that a former employee of Mr. Vereb’s tipped off the office and prompted the investigation.
The attorney general’s office said that nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses helped in confirming that Mr. Vereb had collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but did not receive their actual ashes.
Instead, Mr. Vereb disposed of many of the pets at a landfill whose location was not disclosed and provided customers with the ashes of other animals, prosecutors said. They did not say where the ashes had come from.
The attorney general’s office said that it has identified thousands of customers from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Western Pennsylvania as victims. A spokesman for the office said it does not provide information about victims.
Because of the large number of customers who may have been impacted, the attorney general’s office has launched a website to connect with victims who can share their impact statements and receive updates on the case.
On its website, the Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial offered “compassionate experts” would take care of the remains of their customers’ needs for pet funeral and memorial services. “Our mission is to assist families in creating personalized funeral experiences that honor the life of their loved ones,” the website said.
