Guilty Plea in Service Dog Fraud Case
Mark Mathis, who ran Ry-Co Service Dogs in Raleigh from 2008 to 2018, has admitted guilt to 50 charges of obtaining property through false pretenses. The North Carolina Attorney General's Office began investigating complaints over six years ago.
Prosecutors revealed that Mathis targeted families with special needs members, frequently those with autistic children, charging thousands of dollars for dogs that failed to meet proper service animal standards. Victims paid between $4,500 and $16,710 for Briard breed dogs that Mathis claimed were specially trained to assist people with disabilities.
Victims Share Their Experiences
Maggie and Paul Vladyka purchased a dog from Mathis several years ago for their daughter McKenna. Maggie explained why they attended the hearing: "That's why I took her out of school early for her to be here. I really wanted the judge to see the community that he affected. I mean, my face is the face of the community somewhat, but it was her, it's her dog, and she was the one who was really affected by this, and I wanted someone to see that."
McKenna, now 16, still has the dog named Sven, but the family spent thousands more on additional training. "We all kind of banded together and really wanted to stop this from happening to anybody else," Maggie said.
Sentencing and Restitution
Following his guilty plea, Mathis received a suspended sentence and 60 months of supervised probation. He must pay $353,000 in restitution to the 50 affected families. In court, Mathis offered an apology: "I hope that this brings some comfort. I know that it can't erase all that you've gone through. I'm deeply sorry and deeply apologetic for all that happened, and I will make every effort to comply and do right by you through this work."
As part of the agreement, Mathis paid $100,000 of the restitution on Friday, with funds going directly to victims. He is now prohibited from training or selling service animals.
Some victims expressed disappointment that Mathis avoided jail time but sought closure. Maggie added, "I think what we wanted more now than the money was the justice and for him to really understand how he took advantage of a community that already has enough problems and doesn't have enough support, and that he's a part of, ironically and he used that against us and he weaponized the love we have for our children."
