Pet crematory owner jailed pending sentencing on theft charges

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 18:15 · Archive

Patrick Vereb, former owner of a Pittsburgh pet crematory, has been jailed after admitting to stealing about $657,000 from customers.

Patrick Vereb, 72, owner of Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to ten felony charges and was ordered to jail for three months pending sentencing. Judge Jaime Hickton issued the order after Vereb admitted in court that he had moved to Crawford County following his arrest in 2025, violating the terms of his bond.

The Attorney General's Office alleged that Vereb stole approximately £657,000 from customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services between 2021 and 2024. In addition to the charges of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, Vereb admitted to dumping animals into a landfill and distributing ashes from animals that did not belong to pet owners.

Vereb's sentencing is scheduled for 21 January. For the first-degree felony of theft by deception, he could face up to a year in jail, with an undetermined amount of probation for the other charges. Leslie Dinkfelt, a customer who said Vereb took eight of her pets, expressed her view at court. 'He was nice as pie and lied to everyone's face,' she said. 'He's a thief and there's no way he did this on his own. I want more questions asked of everyone who was involved.'

How it is being reported

• Owner of Pa. pet memorial service pleads guilty to defrauding customersThe owner admitted to all charges and faces sentencing on Jan. 21 for first-degree theft by deception.PennLive · 22 Oct, 18:33
• Former Pittsburgh pet crematory owner pleads guilty, sent to jail pending sentencingPittsburgh Post-Gazette · 22 Oct, 17:14
• Patrick Vereb ordered to jail in pet cremation fraud casePatrick Vereb, the former pet crematory director accused of dumping animals into a landfill, will spend the next three months in Allegheny County Jail pending sentencing for multiple felony charges after admitting to the court that he moved to Crawford County after his arrest in 2025.TribLIVE · 22 Oct, 17:06

In this story: Patrick Vereb · Eternity Pet Memorial · Allegheny County Jail · Pittsburgh · Crawford County

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