LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on Friday that five people from the Philadelphia area who allegedly conspired together to fraudulently purchase puppies to resell for profit were arrested.
Tynise Rivers, Sierra Thompson, Amara Dukuly, Tatiyana Cooper-Laylor, and Darnell Lloyd have all been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit theft, theft by deception, and corrupt organizations, according to a release.
The investigation, which was conducted by the Office of Attorney General and the Pennsylvania State Police, found that these individuals allegedly used fake cashier’s checks and counterfeit money to purchase the puppies from breeders in Lancaster County, and then sold the stolen dogs through social media platforms, such as Instagram, the release states.
These thefts centered around "high-demand dogs" such as French bulldogs and Yorkshire Terrier puppies, some of them selling for up to $20,000 each.
Dog breeders lost over $430,000 as a result of this operation, the AG says.
"This was theft, pure and simple,” Shapiro said in a statement. “These individuals exploited the demand for these dogs by not simply being the middle men, but stealing puppies directly from the dog breeders and inserting themselves into a normally joyful process, in order to line their own pockets."
Rivers and Dukuly’s preliminary hearings will be held on Oct. 21, Cooper-Laylor’s preliminary hearing will be held Nov. 1, and Thompson’s formal arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 10, in Lancaster County.
The Philadelphia Police Department also helped investigate this case.
