RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Mark Mathis, president of Ry-Con, a nonprofit dealing with service dogs, was indicted on more than 40 charges Tuesday, according to Attorney General Josh Stein’s office.
Stein announced that Mark Mathis was indicted in Wake County Superior Court on 42 counts of obtaining property by false pretense.
Mathis is the president and executive director of Ry-Con, an Apex nonprofit organization that sold service dogs that he represented were specially trained to help people with medical or developmental needs.
Stein said Mathis would say he could provide trained service animals when in fact he knew that the dogs were not adequately trained as service dogs.
People paid amounts ranging from $4,500 to $16,710 to Ry-Con for the service dogs to help family members with autism and other medical concerns.
The families who then took these service dogs home have recounted serious issues with the dogs, including fighting with other dogs and biting family members.
According to Stein’s office, the Consumer Protection Division received more than 50 complaints about Ry-Con from families within and outside of North Carolina and subsequently conducted a civil investigation into Mathis and Ry-Con.