Maryland woman enters Alford plea in fraudulent pet crematorium scam
A woman who helped her husband run a fraudulent Baltimore County pet crematorium entered an Alford plea and was sentenced to five years suspended, according to the county State's Attorney's Office.
An Alford plea allows an individual to avoid admitting to any criminal acts, maintaining innocence, but still accepting a sentence.
Yalanda Ward was also ordered to serve five years of probation and have no contact with the animals or victims involved in the case. A judge ordered that she pay $12,000 in restitution, some of which has already been paid, court officials said.
It comes nearly two months after her husband, Rodney Ward, was sentenced to 20 years for his role in the scheme, which left dozens of pet owners with sand instead of their pets' ashes.
The two owners of Loving Care Pet Funeral and Cremation Services were charged after they gave pet parents a mix of sand and other debris instead of their pets' ashes, court records show.
Court officials said Wednesday that the victims were "satisfied with the plea," but noted that some of them still do not know where their pets' remains are.
Officials said they plan to keep Yalanda Ward "on a short leash."
WJZ has reached out to Yalanda Ward's attorney for a statement.
Pet cremation scam
Yalanda and Rodney Ward owned the unlicensed pet crematorium in Catonsville and collected about $13,000 from the victims, according to court documents.
In April 2025, investigators uncovered the scheme after finding the remains of 38 different animals in the back of a hearse in Baltimore.
Prosecutors said the material that was given to pet owners did not contain any animal remains, but instead contained concrete powder and other building materials. Some samples contained human elements like teeth and dental implants, prosecutors said during Rodney Ward's trial.
More than 60 victims spoke out during Rodney Ward's trial, saying they received boxes of remains that turned out to be debris.
"He quoted scripture; he did all of this to make me feel comfortable. I would never think that he would be so demonic," said Sharon Thomas, who took her 17-year-old service dog, Blackie Dior, to the crematorium.
