LAURA SULLIVAN, HOST:
An update now on a story we first told you about last spring. Bart Centre of New Hampshire claimed he was running a pet rescue business for animals in case they were left behind by owners during the rapture, or the end of times, as some Christians believe.
Centre told NPR and other media outlets that he charged hundreds of people more than $100 apiece, promising the business would care for their pets after the owners were carried up to Heaven. The self-described animal loving atheist called it Eternal Earth-Bound Pets. The New Hampshire Insurance Department thought some monkey business might be going on and decided to investigate.
Last week, they sent Centre a subpoena asking for a list of his clients and other details about the practice. Centre's response? He says it was all a hoax from the beginning. He says he never had any clients at all. But the State Insurance Department isn't taking his word for it, and their investigation is ongoing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.