Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Little Puppies Online of Mount Vernon was named in a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Attorney General…
The lawsuit alleges that Dogs to the Rescue of Portsmouth, Ohio, operated as a sham charity in Knox and Scioto counties. The complaint claims the nonprofit deceived donors by falsely stating that all contributions would be used to find permanent homes for dogs, according to a press release from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
According to the same press release, board members Nathan Bazler and Sara Bazler of Butler, Ohio, and Opal Mustain of Portsmouth, Ohio, along with Little Puppies Online, were named as defendants. The lawsuit accuses them of unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, and other violations of charitable law. The press release also said that despite working as little as two hours per week on average, the board members paid themselves a combined $354,000 in 2022. By the end of 2022, only $42 remained in assets for the nonprofit. It lacked documentation to justify these payments. The lawsuit further alleges that Nathan and Sara Bazler used some funds to pay debts related to their for-profit business Maryland Puppies Online. In 2022, they agreed to shut down that business and pay civil penalties after being accused by Maryland authorities of violating laws against operating puppy mills…