posted April 10, 2008
Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper has taken action to stop a Sullivan County dog kennel owner from selling English Bulldog puppies in violation of a 2006 court order.
The action against Gina De'Lynn Hodges Price, filed on behalf of the Division of Consumer Affairs, claims she violated the agreed injunction by failing to stop operating the kennel, selling dogs and advertising dogs for sale.
And, a federal indictment was returned against Ms. Price, 46, of Blountville, this week in Greeneville, Tn.
A hearing on the state's motion is set for April 18 in Chancery Court in Bristol.
The court approved an injunction in 2006 against Gina Price, Adam Price, Paige Baird, Doug Pickel and their kennel, Rebel Ridge Kennels, CSA Bulldogs, and Confederate Sands after numerous complaints to the Division of Consumer Affairs, the Better Business Bureau and other agencies for a number of allegations regarding the sale of the puppies, it was stated.
The state alleged in its original complaint that Gina Price and the other defendants made statements to consumers that their dogs were healthy, but delivered dogs that had chronic hereditary health problems, debilitating or fatal birth defects, organ failure, spina bifida, severe heart murmurs, seizures, cleft palates, parvovirus, parasites, worms, ear mites, infections and other serious health problems. The State also alleged that numerous bulldogs from the defendants' kennel died or had to be euthanized shortly after delivery.
Consumers also complained Ms. Price sold dogs imported from Eastern European countries such as Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, and Russia through the website rebelridgekennels.com claiming that the bulldogs were professionally bred on premises.
In its original complaint, the state also alleged that Ms. Price misrepresented puppies' documentation, registration status, country of origin, and the overall inspection ranking of the kennel itself.
Under the injunction, the defendants agreed to stop operating the kennel as a business. The court's 2006 order prohibits Ms. Price from "offering for sale or selling any dog to any consumer or the public; advertising or promoting in any manner or medium any dog to any consumer, and operating or otherwise hosting any website, e-Bay offering or other Internet service, or otherwise to sell dogs to any consumer of public."
The state is seeking a contempt order against Ms. Price to enforce the original injunction and civil penalties totaling $10,000 along with attorneys fees and court costs.
If you have paid Defendant Gina Price or Rebel Ridge Kennels and have not already filed a complaint and wish to do so, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at http://www.state.tn.us/consumer/ or call (615) 741-4737 or toll-free in Tennessee at 1-800-342-8385.
Consumers who wish to file a complaint against any unlawful dog breeding business or individual or any other deceptive act by a business or individual should also contact the Division of Consumer Affairs.
Ms. Price was named in a 10-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury.
She was charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, three counts of lying and concealing information from the Social Security Administration, two counts of filing false income tax returns, and three counts of witness tampering.
According to the indictment, from Sept. 1, 2002 until about May 11, 2006, Ms. Price devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from individuals interested in purchasing English and French Bulldogs. Price used internet websites, including www.rebelridgekennels.com, www.southersteellogistics.com, and http://confederatesands.homestead.com, to advertise the sale of bulldogs that were born at her kennel in eastern Tennessee. A health guarantee was posted on the website that stated each puppy would be free of hereditary diseases, would be checked by a veterinarian prior to delivery to the new owner, and would be sold with full American Kennel Club registration. Ms. Price allegedly sold the puppies for between $1,200 and $2,800.
The indictment states, that instead of breeding dogs at her kennel, Price would import English and French bulldog puppies from Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, and Russia, and would deliver those puppies to person who ordered them from the website. Many of the puppies were sold and shipped with genetic and hereditary diseases including heart murmur, hip dysplasia, and cleft palate. Some of the puppies had to be euthanized by the new owners due to their severe medical issues.
The indictment also charges that Ms. Price, who received Social Security disability payments, made false misrepresentations on several forms provided to the Social Security Administration stating that she was not gainfully employed and had not earned more than $200 or worked more than 40 hours in any month since June 14, 1999. It also alleges that Price further concealed the fact that she did actually perform substantial gainful work in order to continue to receive fraudulent payments.
Additionally, Ms. Price was charged with filing false income tax returns for 2004 and 2005 with the Internal Revenue Service, stating that she had negative taxable income of $32.00 and $4,400, respectively.
Lastly, the indictment charges that Ms. Price with three counts of witness tampering, stating that she attempted to intimidate or corruptly persuade three different witnesses to withhold information from an official proceeding.
The investigation was conducted by FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General.
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