'Disturbing': Pennsylvania AG says funeral home faked pet cremations

Emily Bloch, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 28, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced charges against a funeral home owner for deceiving thousands of pet owners who paid for cremation services, but instead received ashes from other “unknown animals.”

Patrick Vereb, 70, owns Vereb Funeral Home, which has locations in Pittsburgh and Natrona Heights. Each funeral home also hosts Eternity Pet Memorial branches.

According to Vereb’s website, the pet memorial services offered included pet cremation, pet burial, and memorial keepsakes. But new court filings claim Vereb’s pet-related services were fraudulent and had been for years.

Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday said Monday that between 2021 and 2024, Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial stole more than $650,000 from customers who paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes, and other services for their late pets. Instead, Sunday said the funeral home improperly disposed of thousands of dogs and cats in a landfill.

”This case is disturbing and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,” Sunday said. “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.”

Vereb is being charged with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and deceptive business practices. He surrendered Monday afternoon and was arraigned on charges. He was released on his own recognizance. His attorney, Louis W. Emmi of Pittsburgh, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The attorney general’s office says more than 6,500 former customers from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, and Westmoreland counties are impacted. They are encouraged to visit www.attorneygeneral.gov/epm to share victim statements and receive case updates.

There have been other examples of pet memorial-related fraud in other states over the years. Last year, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office said it was investigating a pet cremation company tied to multiple desert dump sites. Another Colorado pet crematory was accused of disposing of animals in mass graves instead of cremating them.

Vereb is next expected in court on May 9 for a preliminary hearing.