Lawsuit Accuses Los Angeles Animal Rescue of Running Puppy Laundering Operation
City prosecutors say Wagmor Pets bought dogs from breeders and sold them as rescues, with more than $7 million in fines sought.
- Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed a lawsuit last week against Wagmor Pets and owner Melissa Bacelar, alleging a "puppy laundering" scheme that resold dogs from commercial breeders as rescues to unsuspecting customers.
- Wagmor gained prominence in 2019 after Ellen DeGeneres featured the organization, leading celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Dwayne Johnson to adopt pets. Customers paid "adoption fees" of $650 to $1,500.
- Prosecutors allege Bacelar used "misleading appeals" to solicit donations while numerous dogs sold by the defendants died after adoption, violating the California Unfair Competition Law and Los Angeles Municipal Code.
- Bacelar strongly rejected the accusations on Wednesday, telling NBC Los Angeles the "allegations are not true" and characterizing the lawsuit as a "money grab" and "decade-long campaign" against her.
- The city seeks a permanent injunction to halt these business practices and fines exceeding $7 million. Feldstein Soto emphasized families "deserve honesty, not deception" when adopting rescue animals.
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abc 13 Houston
Lawsuit accuses Los Angeles animal rescue of running puppy laundering operation
The lawsuit claims Wagmor Pets pretended to save animals while actually buying from dog breeders and puppy mills and then selling them as rescue pets.
Jennifer Aniston and Kris Jenner-Linked Dog Rescue Faces Explosive Lawsuit
A California dog rescue linked to Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston and Kris Jenner is facing serious legal claims. City officials allege that the organization misled people about the dogs it offered for adoption and raise questions about how it collected donations. However, the rescue’s founder has strongly denied the allegations. Wagmor is accused of disguising […]
WVII / Fox Bangor
TMZCelebrity Dog Broker Allegedly Ran Puppy Laundering Scheme Selling Breeder Dogs As Rescues
The California dog rescue operation where Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Chrissy Teigen, Kris Jenner and other Hollywood stars got their furry friends ran a puppy laundering scheme where they sold dogs from puppy mills under the guise that they were…
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