RIC BROWDE WINGS OF RESCUE FRAUD

20 Years After Katrina: We Demand Justice for Families and Their Pets
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the moment the nation first witnessed large-scale pet theft, fraud, and illegal interstate transport carried out by so-called animal “rescue” nonprofits. Today, these same organizations continue their criminal operations—separating families from their pets forever, profiting off disaster, and deceiving the public.
After every flood, hurricane, or wildfire, families stay behind searching in rising waters—desperately trying to locate their pets. Meanwhile, corrupt nonprofit executives have already loaded animals onto planes, shipping them across the country for donation dollars, media stunts, and fraudulent adoption fees.
📍 After Katrina, people drowned trying to save or reunite with their pets. That horror has not ended—it has evolved into a national racket.

🚫 This is a Criminal Enterprise, Not Rescue
These organizations are not rescuers. They are con artists, exploiting disaster victims and their pets. Many are:
Under active or past criminal investigation

Flagged by CharityWatch for deceptive fundraising

In violation of federal disaster and transport laws

Shipping pets into already overcrowded shelters, where animals are euthanized, disease spreads, and families are denied any chance at reunification

❗The Law Is Clear: Pets Should NEVER Be Shipped Out of State After Disasters
Under the PETS Act (U.S. H.R. 3858) and corresponding state laws:
Disaster-displaced pets must be sheltered locally in triage units or temporary facilities

Animals must be color-coded, photographed, documented, and kept separate from the general shelter population to allow for reunification

Transporting unclaimed pets out of state before a mandatory holding period is criminal

Shipping labeled “strays” to evade these requirements still constitutes fraud and animal cruelty when done for profit

📢 Message to News Stations in the North
STOP giving press to these con artists.
By airing unvetted “rescue” stories and uplifting these nonprofits, you are:
Aiding and abetting a criminal operation

Helping cover up mass euthanasia and pet theft

Deceiving your viewers into donating to fraudulent campaigns

Your stories show pets on tarmacs, trapped in crates, licking bars for moisture, left in the sun without water—and you spin it as “heroic.”
This isn’t rescue. It’s a criminal cover-up, and arrests are coming in 2025.

🔒 Demand for Reform and Justice
Ban all interstate pet shipments after disasters

Investigate and prosecute nonprofits involved in pet trafficking

Mandate triage units for disaster-displaced pets, per federal law

Hold media outlets accountable for amplifying fraud

Expose and dismantle the network profiting from animal suffering

We will not let another Katrina anniversary pass without action. This time, we will hold the perpetrators accountable.

ILLEGAL PET IMPORT & DISASTER EXPLOITATION FLIGHT
Crates on the Tarmac, Families Left Behind, Donations Stolen
Date & Context:
On January 12–13, 2025, over 60 dogs and cats were illegally imported into Seattle, Washington, on a transport flight originating from the Los Angeles wildfire zone. This flight was part of a coordinated trafficking operation falsely promoted as a “rescue” mission.
Key Perpetrators:
Wings of Rescue, a nonprofit flagged by CharityWatch for financial and operational misconduct.

Paws For Life K9 Rescue (Mission Hills, CA), which arranged the shipment without any known reunification process for displaced California families.

Washington Recipients:
Seattle Humane accepted approximately 45 animals.

The Pittie Project PNW (Bellingham) received six dogs.

📸 Evidence of Cruelty: KOMO News Footage
Animals arriving at Seattle’s Boeing Field were shown by KOMO News in a disturbing scene:
Dogs and cats left baking on the hot tarmac in direct sunlight.

No water bowls in sight.

Animals were licking the bars of their metal crates, desperately trying to cool their tongues on the searing hot steel while trapped in crates under the sun.

These are not rescue conditions—these are abusive, negligent, and criminally reckless acts, captured on video and broadcast to thousands.

🚫 What’s Really Happening
This was not a rescue. This was:
An illegal interstate pet trafficking operation.

A violation of the PETS Act (U.S. H.R. 3858).

An exploitation of family pets displaced by natural disaster, many of whom were never given a chance to reunite with their owners.

A money-making scheme by nonprofits using fraudulent emotional appeals to raise millions in donations while contributing to overcrowding, disease, and euthanasia in Washington shelters.

✅ Summary
The January 2025 “rescue” flight was a humanitarian and legal failure. Families in California lost their pets permanently. Animals arrived in inhumane, heatstroke-inducing conditions. And nonprofits involved—including Wings of Rescue, Seattle Humane, and The Pittie Project PNW—profited while breaking federal law.
We are calling for criminal prosecution, a statewide ban on out-of-state pet shipments, and immediate accountability from KOMO News and all nonprofits involved.

Cruelty to animals, corrupt nonprofits operating illegally criminal complaints have been filed with state and federal authorities against the individuals named in KOMO reports

https://youtu.be/DyBEC_2Cigw

Annotated Law Violations
1.
Violation of the PETS Act (U.S. H.R. 3858, Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006)
Provision Violated: Requires FEMA and states to support reunification efforts and prohibits permanent removal of pets from disaster zones without clear documentation and legal process.

Violation: Animals were removed before families had a chance to reclaim them, bypassing mandated tracking and reunification protocols.

2.
Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq.)
Provision Violated: Prohibits the transport of animals in conditions that cause suffering; mandates humane handling during transport.

Violation: Animals were transported in extreme heat without water, then left in crates on a hot tarmac, violating USDA humane transport guidelines.

3.
Washington State Animal Cruelty Statutes (RCW 16.52.205 & RCW 16.52.207)
Provision Violated: First- and second-degree animal cruelty include failing to provide necessary water, shelter, or medical care, or causing unjustifiable pain.

Violation: Seattle Humane and partners knowingly received animals under extreme stress and failed to ensure humane intake and shelter.

4.
False Solicitation of Charitable Contributions (RCW 19.09.100)
Provision Violated: Prohibits deceptive fundraising practices in Washington.

Violation: Donations were solicited under false pretenses—claiming the animals were being “rescued” when they were trafficked and displaced without reunification.

5.
Federal Wire Fraud Statute (18 U.S.C. § 1343)
Provision Violated: Criminalizes schemes to defraud via wire, radio, or television.

Violation: National nonprofits used deceptive marketing and false narratives via television (KOMO), email, and websites to solicit millions in fraudulent donations.

6.
Interstate Transport of Animals with Infectious Diseases (9 CFR § 71.21)
Provision Violated: Prohibits transport of animals across state lines without proper health certifications.

Violation: No quarantine, no disease screening, and animals shipped in from wildfire regions under emergency conditions—some showing signs of illness upon arrival.

❌ Summary
This flight was not a rescue operation—it was a criminal trafficking mission carried out under the guise of disaster response. The pets involved were never given a legal opportunity to be reunited with their families. They were shipped across state lines into overcrowded Washington shelters, where they faced disease, stress, neglect, and potential euthanasia.
Meanwhile, millions in donations were raised under fraudulent claims, and KOMO News enabled the deception by broadcasting footage without vetting the organizations’ histories or legality of the operation.

📣 DEMANDS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
We are:
Filing formal complaints with the WA Attorney General, USDA, FTC, and state veterinary boards.

Submitting a criminal referral for wire fraud, animal cruelty, and disaster-related racketeering under the RICO Act.

Demanding KOMO News issue a correction and cease coverage of nonprofits under active investigation.

Calling for a statewide moratorium on all out-of-state pet shipments into Washington from disaster zones.