Funeral Home Director Accused of Faking Pet Cremations and Dumping Animal Remains in Landfill

Patrick Vereb, 70, is charged with several felony counts for his pet cremation con

A funeral home director in Pennsylvania is facing criminal charges after allegedly defrauding thousands of grieving pet owners by handing them fake ashes while discarding the actual remains in a landfill. Patrick Vereb, 70, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in the Pittsburgh area, is accused of stealing more than $650,000 (£490,000) from approximately 6,500 clients between 2021 and 2024.

Authorities allege that instead of providing individual cremation services as promised, Vereb delivered fabricated ashes of unidentified origin and disposed of the real pet bodies as waste. He is now charged with theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and deceptive business practices.

Attorney General Dave Sunday, who announced the charges, said Vereb repeatedly and deliberately violated the trust of his clients who sought a respectful and dignified farewell for their pets. Many paid substantial sums expecting proper cremation services, only to unknowingly receive false remains in return.

Vereb is said to have conned more than 6,500 pet owners

The investigation gained momentum after a recent whistleblower came forward. Tiffany Mantzouridis, a mortuary school graduate who began an internship at Vereb’s funeral home in February 2024, uncovered alarming discrepancies in cremation logs and protocols. Initially brought in to work on human services, Mantzouridis also handled pet cremations and became suspicious when she noticed that deceased pets were not being preserved properly and were not stored in freezers.

Upon reviewing the facility's cremation records, she found a large number of pets lacking associated crematory tracking numbers. Mantzouridis reported that Vereb had a habit of only cremating larger pets while allegedly disposing of smaller ones, ultimately mixing ashes and returning them to unsuspecting owners under the guise of individualized services.

“There was something very bad going on,” Mantzouridis stated, highlighting that the entire process was a betrayal of families' trust and emotions.

Vereb Funeral Home in Pittsburgh

In response to the widespread scale of the alleged fraud, the Attorney General's Office has launched a dedicated website and email system to help keep affected pet owners informed about developments and support efforts to seek justice.

Vereb was taken into custody earlier this week and has since been released pending his court appearance, which is scheduled for May 9.