LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A second lawsuit has been filed in Clark County District Court involving Vegas Pet Rescue Project, exposing deep divisions within Las Vegas' animal rescue community as accusations fly between the organization's founder and its board of directors.
The latest legal filing comes from founder Jamie Gregory, who is defending herself against allegations of theft and embezzlement made by the rescue's board members. Gregory filed her own lawsuit Monday claiming the board is illegitimate and has no authority over her or the rescue, despite Secretary of State and IRS records that appear to contradict her claims.
Jamie Gregory's lawsuit
During a Thursday morning emergency hearing, a judge affirmed the board's authority and gave them control of the organization and its money, at least temporarily.
Temporary restraining order
The ongoing legal battle is now impacting the animals the rescue was created to help, according to new court filings. The documents allege canceled veterinary appointments and dogs being held hostage from the fosters who have been caring for them.
"A lot of this back and forth in the public eye is definitely hurting the rescue community in general," said Bryce Henderson, president of No Kill Las Vegas.
Henderson said he has known Gregory since she started her rescue and noted she spent eight years building the nonprofit, working most of those years unpaid.
"I really wish they had handled this internally because now everyone's wondering, 'when I donate to a local rescue, what's happening with my money?' And that's the last thing that we want," Henderson said.
The most recent IRS records show Vegas Pet Rescue Project took in nearly half a million dollars in both 2022 and 2023. The fast-growing rescue gained notoriety for its work on the case of Reba the bulldog, who died of heat stroke after being found in a sealed plastic container in July 2024.
The VPRP board told 13 Investigates it tried to resolve financial discrepancies and record keeping failures internally, but Gregory began shutting them out of bank and social media accounts. They filed the suit "to protect the integrity, transparency, and continued operation of the rescue."
INITIAL STORY | Vegas Pet Rescue Project board sues founder over alleged embezzlement of donor funds
Financial questions raised
One of the central issues in the lawsuits is how much money Gregory was making for running the rescue. Court records show VPRP lost more than $61,000 in both 2022 and 2023, while Gregory's compensation in those years totaled $91,151.73 and $82,055.70, respectively. Gregory has said some of that money was "appropriately paid for services rendered" to board member Tina Hayes, but Gregory failed to file a breakdown of how the money was distributed in tax filings, where she listed her and Hayes' reportable compensation as $0.
"I think a lot of people do have trouble understanding, 'Why is this person getting paid? I want all my money to go towards helping the animals,'" Henderson said. "Well, when you get to a certain size, you need someone on staff that is there to help the animals full time. They have to give up their regular jobs."
Henderson said he doesn't shame anyone running a rescue who takes a salary, but the board members question whether the amount Gregory has been paying herself is justifiable.
Court records also say the nonprofit's tax records "contain inaccurate information, classifying certain expenses as 'conventions and meetings' when no such expense exists." In particular, $18,281 for conferences, conventions and meetings appeared on the 2023 IRS form.
Gregory's response to allegations
In response to allegations by the board that she used the rescue's money for personal expenses, Gregory's lawsuit says the charges in question were either valid work expenses or accidental charges that she plans to reimburse.
She says cell phone, gas and travel costs are work expenses, as are her Ring app and cameras, which she uses to protect "VPRP items stored at her residence."
If she "accidentally used the wrong credit card for a personal item" on Amazon, she'll pay the money back, Gregory stated. She blamed Prime Video purchases on her mother, "who suffers from mental health issues and was purchasing items without Gregory's knowledge across numerous platforms." She says she'll pay those back too.
Disney trip controversy
The situation becomes more complex regarding Disney-related expenses. Text messages obtained by 13 Investigates show that in July 2023, a local woman donated Disneyland tickets for the rescue to raffle off as a fundraiser. The donor didn't see proof the raffle had happened on social media, but Gregory assured her via text that the tickets were raffled off.
A month later, Gregory posted pictures of herself at Disneyland. When asked about it via text, she wrote, "I am not sure what happened to that donated raffle item. I thought it was used. I am not perfect and we do have a lot going on at all times, so if I missed a single raffle item, then I apologize."
To explain the Facebook pictures, she wrote, "I go to Disneyland often."
An April 2025 Disney World trip to Orlando, Florida is part of the board's lawsuit against her. Bank statements they provided show personal charges for food and gas on the rescue's account. In Gregory's lawsuit against the board, she writes about another charge from that trip, saying she "realized only recently that the wrong credit card was used for the purchase of $741.64 in park tickets." She says she was planning to "reconcile this mistake when completing their taxes and will ensure reimbursement."
"I could certainly understand if something happened occasionally or once in a while. I'm willing to understand that that's a possibility," Henderson said. "If it turns out it's more than that, then I would have to reevaluate. But at this point, to me, it looks like it's been overblown."
In a statement to 13 Investigates, the board wrote, "The fact is, she is only now agreeing to repay the amounts because she got caught. These are not mistakes. This is a pattern of intentional behavior and now she has gotten caught."
Board statement on Gregory's lawsuit
Additional actions taken
In addition to the lawsuit, Vegas Pet Rescue Project's board has filed a complaint against Gregory with the Nevada Secretary of State, asking that it be referred to the Nevada Attorney General for investigation and potential prosecution.
The board has also drained the VPRP bank account of more than $200,000 and is awaiting more direction from the court so the money can be placed into an account that Gregory cannot access.
Gregory has declined to go on camera on the advice of her attorney, who wants the lawsuits involving VPRP to play out in court.
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