Pittsburgh-area funeral home director Patrick Vereb has pleaded guilty to all criminal charges, including first-degree felony theft by deception.
Investigators from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General revealed that between 2021 and 2024, Vereb defrauded more than 6,500 pet owners out of over $650,000 by dumping their deceased animals in landfills instead of providing the paid-for cremations or burials.
On the Marty Griffin show, one of the pet owners victimized by Vereb's crimes, Chris Mageri, had this reaction to today's proceedings:
“He pled guilty to all ten of the charges that he was charged with, but of course, there are no laws on the books so what he did to all of our pets, he’s only being charged for deceptive business practices and thinks of that nature, nothing for what he did to our babies,” said Mageri.
Following his guilty plea, the judge revoked Vereb's bail, sending him directly to prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21.
