Latest news with #VerebFuneralHome
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State lawmaker plans to introduce legislation regulating handling of pet remains by funeral homes
State lawmakers are preparing a first-of-its-kind legislation in Pennsylvania, seeking a regulatory framework around pet funeral home services. We spoke with people who say it's bittersweet as they are still reeling from the actions of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Pittsburgh funeral home owner accused of dumping pets in landfill instead of cremating them 'If nothing else, it makes me feel good that there is some sort of justice for my dog and other pet owners that are victims of this person's heinous crimes,' said Maria Briggs, who is a victim of the Vereb Funeral Home actions. She thinks of her late dog Ellie often, especially after her name was on one of the many lists of pets the Attorney General said were wrongfully dumped in a landfill by Patrick Vereb. Now, this legislation is being proposed in the State Senate to keep this from happening again. 'I certainly hope that justice is going to be served, Briggs said. 'I hope that this Patrick Vereb gets what he deserves.' Vereb is accused of dumping over 6,500 pets into a landfill after owners paid hundreds of dollars for the cremation of their pets. The memo about the bill, which will be known as Holding Funeral Homes Accountable for Pet Cremations, says it's an effort to 'create an offense related to misrepresenting the disposal of animal remains and include additional penalties on funeral directors and their licenses for violating this act. ' Senator Nick Pisciottano (D-45) serves as Co-Chairman of the Animal Protection Caucus. He said when he heard about the case, he couldn't help but think of his two rescue dogs. 'We have actually gone to funeral homes to get our dogs cremated in the past. So, it really struck a personal tone with me and a lot of our constituents talked about actually having to grieve their lost pets a second time,' Pisciottano said. There is no timeline for when the bill will be introduced or reach the Governor's desk, but Pisciottano hopes it will move quickly as it has support from both sides of the aisle. A class action lawsuit was filed at the Allegheny County Courthouse against funeral home owner Patrick Vereb. He is also facing state charges and is currently out on bail. Vereb is scheduled for an arraignment on June 18 at 2 p.m. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh funeral director charged with swindling pet owners, dumping pets' remains in landfill
The owner of a Pittsburgh funeral home was arrested Monday after allegedly stealing more than $650,000 from customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services, throwing their animals in a landfill and giving them the ashes of other, unknown animals. Patrick Roy Vereb, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is charged with multiple felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, according to a news release from Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Vereb, 70, surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance. Delaware Suspects In Unreturned Rental Van Fatally Strike 1, Injure Several Others Fleeing Police: Authorities Nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses confirmed that Vereb collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners between 2021 and 2024 who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but they did not receive the ashes of their pet, according to the release. Authorities identified more than 6,500 victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Read On The Fox News App "This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians," Sunday wrote in a statement. "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." New England Serial Killer Fears Merit 'Review And Investigation' After Remains Found Across 3 States: Expert Eternity Pet Memorial received the pets directly from consumers or through area veterinarians, according to the attorney general's office. A number of local animal hospitals, animal rescues and funeral homes took to social media after the announcement to share how they were affected. "To every family devastated by Eternity Pet Memorial – We wanted to let you know that we are navigating this disaster with you, as several of our rescue dogs had gone [t]here," Helping Hearts & Healing Tails Animal Rescue wrote in a Facebook post. The shelter went on to describe the alleged crime as "not just a mistake" but a betrayal of trust. "You are not alone," shelter officials wrote. "We see your pain. We share your anger. We honor your love. And together, we will fight for the truth. For dignity. For justice. … Love never ends. And neither will our demand for accountability." Unitedhealthcare Ceo Brian Thompson's 'Premeditated' Attack And Suspect's Getaway: Timeline Paul G. Fink Funeral Home Inc. and East Suburban Animal Hospital assured customers they were not affected. "We are already receiving many calls/texts asking if we used Eternity Pet Memorial for our cremation services following a recent news story," the animal hospital wrote in the post. "We want to assure you that we do not use their services and are so saddened to learn that someone could take advantage of pet owners in this way. Our hearts go out to all of those affected by this abhorrent act." The animal hospital noted it had a few clients who privately used Vereb's services. Considering that thousands of consumers have been harmed, the attorney general's office launched a website to engage with victims and help concerned residents find out if they were affected. Victims can provide their contact information, share victim impact statements and receive updates on the criminal article source: Pittsburgh funeral director charged with swindling pet owners, dumping pets' remains in landfill
Fox News
30-04-2025
- Fox News
Pittsburgh funeral director charged with swindling pet owners, dumping pets' remains in landfill
The owner of a Pittsburgh funeral home was arrested Monday after allegedly stealing more than $650,000 from customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services, throwing their animals in a landfill and giving them the ashes of other, unknown animals. Patrick Roy Vereb, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is charged with multiple felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, according to a news release from Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Vereb, 70, surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance. Nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses confirmed that Vereb collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners between 2021 and 2024 who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but they did not receive the ashes of their pet, according to the release. Authorities identified more than 6,500 victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties. "This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians," Sunday wrote in a statement. "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." Eternity Pet Memorial received the pets directly from consumers or through area veterinarians, according to the attorney general's office. A number of local animal hospitals, animal rescues and funeral homes took to social media after the announcement to share how they were affected. "To every family devastated by Eternity Pet Memorial – We wanted to let you know that we are navigating this disaster with you, as several of our rescue dogs had gone [t]here," Helping Hearts & Healing Tails Animal Rescue wrote in a Facebook post. The shelter went on to describe the alleged crime as "not just a mistake" but a betrayal of trust. "You are not alone," shelter officials wrote. "We see your pain. We share your anger. We honor your love. And together, we will fight for the truth. For dignity. For justice. … Love never ends. And neither will our demand for accountability." Paul G. Fink Funeral Home Inc. and East Suburban Animal Hospital assured customers they were not affected. "We are already receiving many calls/texts asking if we used Eternity Pet Memorial for our cremation services following a recent news story," the animal hospital wrote in the post. "We want to assure you that we do not use their services and are so saddened to learn that someone could take advantage of pet owners in this way. Our hearts go out to all of those affected by this abhorrent act." The animal hospital noted it had a few clients who privately used Vereb's services. Considering that thousands of consumers have been harmed, the attorney general's office launched a website to engage with victims and help concerned residents find out if they were affected. Victims can provide their contact information, share victim impact statements and receive updates on the criminal case.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- New York Times
Pittsburgh Funeral Home Tossed Pets' Remains in Landfill, Prosecutors Say
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.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
They Trusted Him to Give Their Pets Funerals. But Was He Throwing Animals' Remains in the Trash the Whole Time?
A Pennsylvania funeral director is facing charges after prosecutors say he allegedly threw out the bodies of thousands of pets whose owners had paid for burial and cremation services. Patrick Vereb, 70, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, is charged with improperly disposing of thousands of dogs and cats from customers who had paid for cremations and burials between 2021 and 2024, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Following an investigation, prosecutors found that Vereb allegedly took over $650,000 in funds from more than 6,500 customers in exchange for private funeral services of their pets. But instead, Vereb allegedly disposed of many of the pets at a landfill and provided their owners with ashes of unknown animals. The Office of Attorney General announced Monday, April 28, that Vereb has been charged with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices. 'This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,' Dave Sunday, attorney general, said in a statement. '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.'The attorney general's office has launched a website that victims are encouraged to use to keep up with the case. They have so far identified victims from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Vereb surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on the charges. He was then released on his own recognizance, according to a news release from the Office of Attorney General. Vereb has not yet entered a plea, according to Pennsylvania court records, and is due back in court on May 9. His attorney did not immediately return a request for comment from PEOPLE. Read the original article on People
