A Columbia County woman has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a wire fraud conspiracy and the illegal dispensing of animal drugs, as per a recent press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. The court also sentenced Samantha Miller, 55, to three years of supervised release, and will determine the amount of restitution due at a later date.
Miller, who ran her business under the name Woofin Palooza, LLC, engaged in a scam in which she falsely advertised and sold animals to unsuspecting buyers with concealed health and behavioral issues. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon issued a statement emphasizing the gravity of Miller’s crimes, claiming that her actions not only defrauded customers but also violated regulations intended to protect public health by selling prescription animal drugs without proper veterinary oversight.
According to criminal records, from November 2019 to January 2021, Miller and her co-conspirators obtained animals from out-of-state shelters, many of which had concealed or untreated medical and behavioral abnormalities. They then offered customers in Oregon the chance to adopt these animals for a fee. Without the supervision of a certified veterinarian, the animals received critical treatment.
Miller, using the alias “Mandy Myers,” twisted the narrative surrounding the animals’ health and, in certain cases, administered prescription animal medications that she had repackaged with false or misleading labeling and without a veterinarian’s order. Police released a press release stating that victims often faced significant costs for veterinarian care or, regrettably, euthanasia due to their unknown illnesses.
A federal grand jury in Portland issued a superseding indictment on February 7, 2024, charging Miller with four counts of wire fraud and misbranding pharmaceuticals, which led to her punishment. On October 24, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and misbranding pharmaceuticals. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked together to bring the case to a close, with Assistant United States Attorneys Robert S. Trisotto and Meredith D.M. Bateman prosecuting it.
