plea with New York prosecutors, he agreed to forfeit $4.68 million. Some even had rigor mortis, the grand jury said. Associated Press. Three funeral directors sold 244 corpses for about $1,000 each to a New York businessman who trafficked in the resale of often-diseased body parts, a grand jury charged Thursday. CNNs Julie In and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report. A former Colorado funeral home operator pleaded guilty this week to stealing and selling human remains and body parts that were intended for cremation, federal prosecutors said. The two men were expected to surrender to Philadelphia authorities this week. A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has been sentenced to 20 years in prison By The Associated Press January 4, 2023, 12:16 AM Market data provided by Factset. Mobi Medical Supply also offers quality mortuary stretchers and cots for the funeral home and removal services industry. Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., ran the scheme with help from a 2023 Cable News Network. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The grand jury found that the three men collected more than $183,000 from those families and $84,000 more from welfare. The black-market sales occurred from at least February 2004 through September 2005, prosecutors said. Tweet. Those potentially dangerous body parts were sold and transplanted into thousands of patients. Brothers Louis and Gerald Garzone, along with James McCafferty, "There was no basis for us to take any action against James.". Prosecutors Rent space on your skin for thousands of dollars. conspiracy, they said. During the hearing, the judge asked Hess to describe in her own words the crimes she committed. Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July. replacements and other procedures around the country. Mastromarino plans to surrender Tuesday in Philadelphia and will One national law firm has clients who were patients at Temple, Hahnemann, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein Hospitals in Philadelphia, Holy Redeemer Hospital in Montgomery County, and Shore Memorial Hospital and AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in New Jersey. Add to cart More. Discovery Company. vowed to push for concurrent sentences. Anyone can read what you share. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew Cruceta, who lives in Monroe, N.Y., said he believes his client is Mastromarino One of the "cutters" who removed body parts told the grand jury that he once saw a body in the alley, covered with a blue "Astroturf-like material," a sparrow perched on the head. "Despite receiving $1,959 per child from Stevie Wonder, Louis Garzone filed a welfare claim for $750 for each," the grand jury said. The company sold the body parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the indictment said. Most brokers who sell body parts offer to cremate part of the donor's body for free. "No penalty is too harsh for these guys, for the just unbelievably craven nature of what they did," Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said at a news conference. Charges also were filed against Louis and Gerald Garzone's funeral homes and the crematorium, but not the McCafferty funeral home. Updated. "He was victimized by the funeral directors. Michael Mastromarino, who operated the now-defunct Biomedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., ran the scheme with help from a team of "cutters" who stole the body parts, authorities said. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Hess then "sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for scientific, medical, or educational purposes," the release added. PHILADELPHIA - Three funeral directors sold hundreds of bodies to a former oral surgeon who allegedly collected the bones, tissue and skin from the corpses to be used in . "Nobody knows the whole story," said Carmen Cologne, 47, who resides across the street. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. So far, authorities have Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal mail fraud. In many instances, Koch and Hess neither discussed nor obtained authorization for donation of decedents bodies or body parts for body broker services, the news release said. I exceeded the scope of the consent and Im trying to make an effort to make it right, Ms. Hess said in United States District Court in Grand Junction, Colo., on Tuesday, according to The Daily Sentinel. Investigators found 112 cases in which the three men charged indigent clients for services - then billed welfare as well. A lawyer for Cruceta, who lives in Monroe, N.Y., said he believes his client is innocent. Megan Hess, operator of Donor Services, in Montrose, Colo., pleaded guilty to mail fraud on Tuesday. Police Find 31 Decomposing Bodies and 16 Cremated Remains at Funeral Home in Indiana, 'RHOSLC' Star Jen Shah Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Telemarketing Scandal, Everything to Know About 'Real Housewives' Star Jen Shah's Fraud Case, Jen Shah's Husband Could Be Liable to Pay $9 Million Restitution, Expert Says: 'This Is Their Debt', Andy Cohen Is 'Especially Upset' for Fraud 'Victims' After'RHOSLC' 's Jen Shah Enters Guilty Plea, Man Allegedly Driving San Antonio Tractor Trailer Charged After the Deaths of 53 People, 15 'Real Housewives' Stars Who've Been Arrested, Found Remains ID'd as Missing Colo. "We, by law, had to grant [James Garzone] his license," said Basil Merenda, commissioner of the state Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Authorities said Mastromarino's company took bones and tissue from 1,077 bodies at funeral homes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, making $3.8 million in illegal profits. Two funeral home operators in Colorado were sentenced Wednesday for illegally selling bodies and body parts without the families consent, the US Attorneys Office said. "For them, nothing was beyond the pale - not stealing flesh and bones from the dead or lying to the bereaved, not forging and lying on thousands of documents, not putting the public's health at risk," the report said. California residents do not sell my data request. CNN has reached out to an attorney for Hess for comment. The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged family consent forms, the indictment said. But instead of offering guidance, these greedy women betrayed the trust of hundreds of victims and mutilated their loved ones, Leonard Carollo, the acting special agent in charge at the FBI in Denver, said in a news release. Sell your breast milk for $1-$3 per ounce. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department and a lawyer for Ms. Koch declined to comment on the plea agreement. processors," defense lawyer Mario Gallucci said Thursday. cutter arrived, authorities said. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. On his way to dispose the luggage, a amdk Samaritan saw the man struggling with the luggage and offered to help. Mansion, Jen Shah's Assistant Stuart Smith Changes Plea to Guilty in Telemarketing Scheme Case, American Dentist Accused of Plotting Wife's Murder During Africa Hunting Trip. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Mccafferty Funeral Home locations in Ambler, PA. . was HIV-positive and suffered from hepatitis C and cancer. "He was victimized by the funeral directors. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Deli worker killed in apparent robbery on Upper East Side, Lori Lightfoot lost for failing Chicago not because voters are racist/sexist, Investigators want to exhume body of Alex Murdaughs dead housekeeper, Accused pedophile mayor called Pete Buttigieg his buddy and mentor, paid to have their late loved ones cremated. All Rights Reserved. or redistributed. Louis Garzone's attorney, Howard Kaufman, said he had not seen the grand jury report and so could not comment on the charges. "For one thing, cremations made it easier to deceive the next of kin.". Heres how prosecutors said the scheme worked: From about 2010 to 2018 Ms. Hess was in charge of Donor Services, a nonprofit body broker service, and Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, which offered to arrange cremations, funerals and burials in the small western Colorado city of Montrose. He said the state was investigating whether Louis and Gerald Garzone were still running their businesses without a license. The Reuters series uncovered the actions of Sunset Mesa and Donor Services. Others were "riddled with infections.". If you wish to speak to Mark McCafferty right away please call 215-531-5014 or 215-432-8339 (cell) or 267-978-8869 (cell). The hoax revelation was first carried by the Ma A Colorado funeral home director accused of stealing and selling the body parts of hundreds of people has pleaded guilty to mail fraud. is on trial in New York. A former Colorado funeral home owner pleaded guilty to secretly dissecting corpses and selling body parts without consent from mourning relatives. You have permission to edit this article. "They were motivated by greed.". Mechafanboy said: There's a case in little India a few years back. The dispute will likely be left for Common Pleas Judge Glenn Those charges are pending, but seven New York funeral- home directors pleaded guilty last year to helping Mastromarino steal from bodies. Mastromarino claimed that none of the deceased died in a hospital, in order to explain why there were no medical records, according to the grand jury report. Few state laws provide any regulation, and almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell human body parts. Colorado Funeral Home Director Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail for Illegally Selling Body Parts. A lawyer for 1,700 counts charged, such as running a criminal enterprise and In such a growing industry, small, unaccredited outfits outnumber the accredited ones, experts said. Abraham said. Megan Hess admitted to selling body parts without permission of the families of the deceased. MONTROSE, Colo. Two operators of a western Colorado funeral home were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday after being accused of illegally selling the bodies or body parts of hundreds of . charged Thursday after a 16-month investigation. Seven funeral directors in New York have pleaded guilty, including one whose funeral home allegedly removed parts from the body of the late "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. Families of the dead had no idea the bodies were being ransacked. The defendants conduct was horrific and morbid and driven by greed, US Attorney Cole Finegan said. The stolen bones . Michael Mastromarino, a businessman and former dentist, ran the scheme with help from a team of "cutters" who stole the body parts, authorities said. A Warner Bros. Add to Compare. Friday, April 4, 2008. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. On other occasions, their request was rejected, and sometimes, they never brought up the topic at all. by the Garzones. The family of actor Tom Sizemore is currently "deciding end of life matters" following an update from doctors, according to a statement receiv. In court documents, a former employee accused Hess of earning $40,000 by extracting and selling the gold teeth of some of the deceased, an allegation first revealed in the 2018 Reuters report. "My job is to make sure he doesn't do additional time just Even when families agreed to donation, the news release said, Hess and Koch sometimes sold the remains beyond what the family had authorized. Ms. Koch has pleaded not guilty, but she has a change of plea hearing scheduled for July 12. Two funeral home operators in Colorado were sentenced Wednesday for illegally selling bodies and body parts without the families' consent, the US Attorney's Office said. The founder of that company, Michael Mastromarino, a dentist stripped of his license for drug offenses, and his partner, Lee Cruceta, also were charged yesterday. They each pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. Philadelphia, Peruto said. the families' knowledge or permission. Megan Hess was sentenced to 20 years in prison and her mother, Shirley Koch, received 15 years for their involvement in the scheme to sell the human remains to body broker services, according to federal prosecutors. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Although taking care of these funerals is a tremendous honor, the owner of McCafferty Funeral Home's real passion is to help all people from different backgrounds get . "He's obviously not in great spirits, but he's doing OK given the circumstances.". "This was not a coincidence," the grand jury said. Hess, 45, and her mother, Shirley Koch, operated the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose. of Philadelphia, and Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales, along with James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia, provided the bodies to Michael Mastromarino and . The Associated Press. Prosecutors allege that the men took tissue samples from . A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday by a federal court judge. A grand jury indictment said that from 2010 through 2018, Hess and Koch offered to cremate bodies and provide the remains to families at a cost of $1,000 or more, but many of the cremations never occurred. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. . Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. FOR TRANSFERRING BODY ONLY. In 2003, the grand jury noted, an employee at a tissue- processing company described Mastromarino as "one of the leading procurers in the country," who was providing "a phenomenal amount of stuff. Hundreds of patient lawsuits have been filed in federal court in New Jersey and state courts around the country. The funeral directors forged death certificates that said the donors had died of heart attacks or blunt-force trauma but were otherwise healthy, prosecutors said. Without knowledge or consent, the women disrespected the wishes of the grieving victims and degraded the bodies of their family members to sell them for profit, Carollo said. But (Garzone) took my Mastromarino will also testify, if necessary, against his Five indicted for selling body parts . A reporter seeking comment at their businesses was told to leave. The funeral directors forged death certificates that said the donors had died of heart attacks or blunt-force trauma but were otherwise healthy, prosecutors said. Hess initially called the whole affair a "legal travesty." Buy this on Ever Loved. Indicted on similar counts were Brooklyn residents Mastromarino, REUTERS. Get ready!!!! Obituaries from the McCafferty-Sweeney Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Colorado funeral home operator was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for cutting up the bodies of 560 people and selling the parts without permission. Three Philadelphia funeral-home directors were charged yesterday with turning their businesses into gruesome human chop shops that pilfered bones and tissue from the dead to fuel a booming, $1 billion transplant industry. It was not immediately known if the three funeral directors had attorneys. her fear. In 2022 Ken Matthews was ranked #70 of the 100 most important Talk Radio Show Hosts in America by the radio industry's TALKERS magazine. 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Mom Who Vanished While Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in 2018, Missouri Man Killed 4-Year-Old Girl by Beating, Dunking Her in Icy Pond as Part of 'Religious-Type Episode', Sherri Papini, Who Once Paid Off Credit Cards with Donations from Hoax, Now Owes $309,688 in Restitution, Socialite Mom Pleads Guilty to Secretly Filming Minors for 'Sexual Pleasure' in Her Conn. Thank you for visiting McCafferty Funeral & Cremation Inc. website. A funeral home in Colorado has been investigated for cutting off body parts from its clients and selling them. Despite surrendering their licenses, the two Garzone funeral homes have continued operating under the control of a third brother, James, who revived a dormant Pennsylvania funeral home director license. transplant recipients suing tissue banks over the often-diseased Like Gore, Rathburn would also be convicted but in federal court of fraud for selling and transporting infected body parts. The stolen bones, skin and tissue which are nearly impossible to trace from donor to recipient because of forged documents were transplanted in unsuspecting medical patients worldwide, the grand jury in Philadelphia found. In New York City, four men have been indicted for stealing body parts from a Brooklyn funeral home and selling them for transplant. The Sunset Mesa Funeral Home would charge $1,000 or more for cremation services, but often failed to carry out the work, authorities said. The 244 bodies fetched about $1,000 each, the grand jury found, with the body parts being transplanted in unsuspecting medical patients worldwide. "Hess and Koch also delivered remains to families with the representation that the remains were that of the deceased when, frequently, that was not the case," it added. body, but the Philadelphia woman believes the missing age and cause Donate your sperm to earn up to $1,500/mo!