MONTGOMERY, AL – Joseph Robert Merry, Jr., a 42-year-old from Plaistow, New Hampshire, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for engaging in a fraudulent scheme through dog training businesses. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross.
According to court records and Merry’s plea agreement, between 2017 and 2018, Merry deceived individuals into investing in dog training ventures he claimed to have established in Indiana, New Jersey, and Lee County, Alabama, making false promises about large prospective contracts. He even impersonated potential clients, including once posing as a high-ranking official of an energy company, to lend credibility to his fraudulent claims.
This deceit led investors to spend significant sums in anticipation of profits from non-existent contracts. Some investors moved to different states for employment opportunities with Merry’s supposed businesses, which ultimately did not exist. Merry misappropriated these investment funds for personal use.
At the sentencing on March 27, Merry was also ordered to pay $1,271,790 in restitution to the victims and forfeit $1,515,000 in assets as a result of his fraudulent activities.