A Wake County man who ran a service dog business catering to children with special needs has pleaded guilty to dozens of felony charges tied to a long-running fraud scheme.
Mark Mathis, owner of Ry-Co Service Dogs in Raleigh, admitted guilt to 50 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. The plea follows a multi-year investigation launched by the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office after families began filing complaints more than six years ago.
Mathis operated Ry-Co Service Dogs from 2008 until 2018, claiming to provide specially trained service dogs to children with medical and developmental disabilities, including autism. Prosecutors said the business targeted vulnerable families, charging thousands of dollars for dogs that failed to meet proper service animal training, health, and care standards.
According to court records, victims paid between $4,500 and $16,710 for Briard dogs that were falsely represented as fully trained service animals. Many families later spent thousands more on additional training to make the dogs usable.
Several victims attended Friday’s court hearing, including Maggie and Paul Vladyka, whose 16-year-old daughter McKenna received one of the dogs. Maggie said the family wanted the court to see the real impact of Mathis’ actions on children and families affected by the scheme.
Mathis was sentenced to 60 months of supervised probation, with his prison sentence suspended. He was ordered to pay $353,000 in restitution to 50 families and is permanently banned from training or selling service animals. As part of the plea agreement, Mathis paid $100,000 toward restitution on Friday, which will be distributed directly to the victims.
In court, Mathis apologized to the families, acknowledging the harm caused. While some victims expressed disappointment that Mathis avoided jail time, many said the case provided a sense of accountability and closure.
