A Pittsburgh funeral home owner is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly defrauding grieving pet owners out of more than $650,000.00 for cremation and burial services he never provided.
 
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, following an investigation into allegations that Vereb improperly disposed of pet remains in a landfill.
 
Authorities say Vereb offered private cremation services to customers between 2021 and 2024, but in many cases failed to perform those services.
Instead, investigators allege Vereb returned ashes of unknown origin to pet owners and discarded the actual remains.
 
Jennifer Nicholson, one of the victims now seeking justice, is also a school friend of Warren bureau reporter Jackie Palmer.
She told Erie News Now that she had paid for a private cremation for her dog and is now unsure whose remains she actually received.
 
“I read an article online by chance and thought 'Oh my goodness those poor people' and then I read the name of the company and thought, that sounds familiar - and that's when my panic set in," said Nicholson. “Roxy was my first love, my best friend and my buddy. I wanted to be buried with her. Now I don’t know if I have her - and that’s devastating.”
  
Nicholson is among a growing group of pet owners calling for stricter regulation of pet crematoriums in Pennsylvania. A petition demanding oversight and licensing standards has already gathered nearly 350 signatures.
 
"I don't care about any money they may or may not give us," she said. "I'm doing this for Roxy. To give her some kind of justice. To make sure something is done - that laws may get changed as a result of this, so no other families have to go through this."
 
Attorney General Sunday said more victims are expected to come forward as the investigation continues.
 
Vereb is charged with deceptive business practices, theft by deception, and other related offenses.
 
Pet owners who believe they may have been affected are encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Office.
 
For more information on the demand for pet crematorium regulations and the ongoing petition, visit here.