Just Say No to Abuse Declaring War on Terrorism. A man Nevada authorities accuse of defrauding the owners of lost pets has been arrested in California. Nevada authorities suspect him of running a nationwide pet scam that bilked thousands of dollars from pet owners who thought they'd be getting their animals back. The state attorney general's office is asking Washoe County to issue an arrest warrant charging Muniz with three counts of obtaining money under false pretenses.
Authorities allege the suspects checked lost pet ads in newspapers and on the Internet.
They'd then pretend to have found the animals and call the owners asking for money to cover bogus veterinarian bills or transportation costs to ship the animal home. John Czoberek of Fernley thought a kind-hearted couple was returning his lost dog in November when he got a call. Czoberek told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Czoberek eventually got his dog back from a couple who found it hiding under their mobile home in Fernley. Muniz has previous convictions for financial fraud in Nevada and may be tried under the habitual criminal statute, Brierly said.