Workers relocated for jobs at fake dog training business, feds say. Owner must pay $1.2M
A man swindled investors out of more than $1 million and made workers move for jobs at his dog training business that turned out to be fake, federal officials said.
Joseph Merry Jr. has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to a wire fraud charge, according to a March 29 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Alabama.
The 42-year-old New Hampshire man is accused of starting dog training businesses in New Jersey, Indiana and Alabama. In 2017 and 2018, he convinced individuals to invest in his businesses, in part by making up “lucrative” contracts, prosecutors said.
In one case, investigators said Merry pretended to be an official at an energy company that had a large contract with one of his businesses. He sent several emails from Alabama to an investor in New Jersey posing as the official, according to prosecutors.
“Based on Merry’s misrepresentations, some of the investors spent additional money and made significant payments in anticipation of fulfilling the fictional contracts,” officials said in the release. “In addition, numerous new employees moved to different states for jobs they expected to have with one of these dog training businesses.”
Merry’s attorneys declined to comment on the case to McClatchy News.
Merry secured wire transfers of $1.5 million “with the intent to defraud,” according to transactions obtained by federal officials.
He’s accused of misappropriating the money to fund a “lavish lifestyle.”
Merry was indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud but only pleaded guilty to one charge in October, records show.
As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit the $1.5 million in assets, and also was ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to victims at his Mach 27 sentencing hearing.
This story was originally published April 3, 2024 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Workers relocated for jobs at fake dog training business, feds say. Owner must pay $1.2M."