Much of the work took place at the Louis Garzone Funeral Home, at Somerset and Jasper Streets in Kensington, where bodies were left on gurneys in a dingy alley behind the building, the grand jury said. "There was no basis for us to take any action against James.". "He was victimized by the funeral directors. The parts - bones, skin, tendons and spines - were taken from the deceased without family permission, in unsanitary conditions that one witness likened to a "butcher shop.". Explore life stories, offer tributes & condolences, send flowers or create a lasting online memorial for loved ones. Written by Maya Davis. Burial vault. DENVER - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced today that the operators of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado, were sentenced to federal prison for illegally selling body parts or entire bodies without the consent of the family of the deceased. However, it isn't clear whether what they were allegedly doing is illegal in any way . The elaborate scheme also included forged paperwork and "misleading buyers about the results of medical tests" performed on the bodies, added the Times, citing court documents. The most expensive prices were for an upper torso that included a head and arms ($4,000) and the cost of an entire body was $5,000, according to the price list. The grand jury also charged Mastromarino and Lee Cruceta, a former nurse who allegedly ran the cutting crew, with similar counts. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it Human Corpse Being Transported to Funeral Home Ejected from Van in Pileup on N.J. Freeway. The Garzone brothers each own a funeral home and McCafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report 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. Add to cart More. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court. "My job is to make sure he doesn't do additional time just A lawyer for "One of the cutters said it was like the back of a butcher shop, it was so dirty," Abraham said. July 5, 2022 9:58pm. to a former oral surgeon who allegedly collected the bones, tissue and skin from the corpses to be used in transplants, a grand jury Agnes Folger believes the body of her 81-year-old husband, In Kensington, neighbors defended Louis Garzone. A change of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12. This is the only funeral home my family has ever used. 20 years for crimes in both states. 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. Philadelphia, Peruto said. of death to make it appear the body parts were more fresh, 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. The latest Gabs from KenMatthews (@KenMatthews). They were arrested in 2020 and charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. Friday, April 4, 2008. of death on a death certificate signed by Gerard Garzone confirms One of the cadavers was that of Alistair Cooke, the host of Masterpiece Theater, who died in 2004 of cancer. Donate your sperm to earn up to $1,500/mo! About 10,000 people received tissue supplied by BTS. The other location is at L and Lycoming Streets in Juniata Park. They each pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. who lost his oral surgery license amid unrelated drug charges, and together ran Garzone Funeral Home. Auto Body Shops Auto Glass Repair Auto Parts Auto Repair Car Detailing Oil Change Roadside Assistance Tire Shops Towing Window Tinting. Colorado funeral home owners sentenced to federal prison for selling body parts without families' permission Judge sentences Megan Hess to 20 years in prison and gives Shirley Koch a 15-year . Hess, however, charged families to donate their bodies - $195, plus $300 more if relatives want cremated . corpse to let Mastromarino's "cutters" hack up bodies, without Megan Hess, operator of Donor Services, in Montrose, Colo., pleaded guilty to mail fraud on Tuesday. Funeral directors Louis Garzone, 65, Gerald Garzone, 47, and James McCafferty, 37, were arrested Thursday on thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to forgery and theft of body parts. The hoax revelation was first carried by the Ma About a month after the Reuters stories, the FBI raided the site and state regulators shuttered the funeral home and crematory. Second plea in U.S. funeral home scheme to sell body parts. A federal grand jury indicted Hess and Koch in 2020. She could face up to 20 years in prison. $1,700. Attorney Lynne Abraham said at a news conference. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Michael Mastromarino, who operated the now-defunct Biomedical The company sold the body parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the indictment said. Funeral directors Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales, and James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia, were arrested Thursday on thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to forgery and theft of body parts. Donate your eggs to earn up to $10,000! California residents do not sell my data request. One The garzone brothers each own a funeral home and mccafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. The funeral-home directors and their partners, two men who bought the tissue for resale, then falsified paperwork to make the "donors" appear healthy, the report said. Bronson to resolve. The two men were expected to surrender to Philadelphia authorities this week. Prosecutors are calling for Hess, who had previously pleaded not guilty, to be sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison. Prosecution seeks 12-15 year prison sentence, Colorado funeral home harvested and sold body parts. Mastromarino has pleaded not guilty to the New York charges. younger brother, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales; and James Former workers told Reuters about questionable practices at the facility, including the dismembering of bodies without the knowledge or consent of families. Mechafanboy said: There's a case in little India a few years back. 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. So far, authorities have learned the true identities of only 48 of the 244 bodies, Abraham said. We hope these prison sentences will bring the victims family members some amount of peace as they move forward in the grieving process.. IE 11 is not supported. A Colorado funeral home director accused of stealing and selling the body parts of hundreds of people has pleaded guilty to mail fraud. 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. was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. authorities said. part is pursuing a civil suit, Abraham said. do was come and harvest the tissue and send the samples down to the The three funeral-home directors - Louis Garzone, 65; his brother Gerald Garzone, 47; and James A. McCafferty Jr., 37 - were accused of plundering 244 cadavers between February 2004 and September 2005. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court. 1:59 PM EST, Thu January 5, 2023. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) 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 . and hepatitis when they had actually tested positive, according to the authorities. A Warner Bros. All he was supposed to 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. Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., ran the scheme with help from a "For one thing, cremations made it easier to deceive the next of kin.". 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. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Megan Hess who operated the Sunset Mesa funeral home in Montroseand a human body parts business called Donor Services from the same building admitted in federal court Tuesday to defrauding at least a dozen families who had paid to have their late loved ones cremated. 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. "Meeting with hospice on the 4th opening the floodgates of donors," Hess wrote to a prospective body-part buyer in 2014. 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. Prosecutors REUTERS/Mike Wood/File Photo. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. $ 124.95 . Cruceta, who lives in Monroe, N.Y., said he believes his client is To maximize profits, Hess targeted poor and vulnerable families, struggling as they made arrangements in their relatives final days, according to court documents. According to The New York Times, Hess now faces up to 20 years in jail for her body part scheme, which was run out of the Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose. 1748 W Erie Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140. In such a growing industry, small, unaccredited outfits outnumber the accredited ones, experts said. Donate bone marrow for up to $3,000. family consent forms, the indictment said. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. They took advantage of numerous victims who were at their lowest point given the recent loss of a loved one. Mastromarino has been fighting the New York charges. Meeting with hospice on the 4th opening the floodgates of donors, Hess wrote to a prospective body-part buyer in 2014. Megan Hess was . They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 The department's position that Trump is not immune from suit was laid out in a filing before a federal appeals court. Mastromarino plans to surrender Tuesday and will fight the charges, his lawyer said. Some even had rigor mortis, the grand jury said. conspiracy, they said. You have permission to edit this article. Two morticians operating . The company sold the parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the 111-page indictment said. McCafferty, 38, received significantly less time compared to his co-conspirators - brothers . Indicted on similar counts were Brooklyn residents Mastromarino, "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. corruption, body stealing and reckless endangerment. The Garzone brothers surrendered their state funeral licenses last year but continued to run their two homes, Abraham said. Hess then "sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for scientific, medical, or educational purposes," the release added. ", The statement added that "These shipments would be through the mail or on commercial air flights in violation of Department of Transportation regulations regarding the transportation of hazardous materials.". In Philadelphia, most of the bodies were scheduled for cremation Discovery Company. Two Colorado funeral home operators who sold body parts or bodies in a scheme a prosecutor called "horrific" were sentenced to prison Tuesday, officials said.. Megan Hess, 46, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and her mother, Shirley Koch, 69, was sentenced to 15 years, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said in a statement. Brothers Louis and Gerald Garzone, along with James McCafferty, By John Shiffman. Morgan Cemetery The stolen bones . From 2010 through 2018, they would meet with people seeking cremation services either for themselves or their loved ones, according to the plea agreement. Hatboro woman facing charges after racist rant at pizzeria, Eagles wide receiver assaulted, robbed at gunpoint in Maryland, Tom Sizemore dead at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, Man missing since 2021 was murdered, co-worker arrested: DA, Do not to buy Raspberry Rally cookies from eBay, Girl Scouts say, Brian Laundrie was 'emotional bully,' Petito family lawsuit says, Pa. woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison; defense to appeal, Woman has gun held to her head during home invasion: Police, Temple faculty union could hold no-confidence vote on Monday, Pennsylvania lawmaker says he won't quit amid sex misconduct claim. 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 Reuters series uncovered the actions of Sunset Mesa and Donor Services. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. "I love Louis.". As part of his The three men also jointly own Liberty Cremation. A Colorado funeral home director accused of stealing and selling the body parts of hundreds of people has pleaded guilty to mail fraud. "No penalty is too harsh for these guys, for the just 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. The empty Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors & Donor Services in Montrose, Colorado. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. While the mostly poor families thought their loved ones were being cremated quickly, the bodies were often left unrefrigerated for days, sometimes in alleys beside the funeral home, until a cutter arrived, authorities said. Ms. Hess and her mother sometimes obtained consent from families to donate small tissue samples or tumors of their dead relative, according to an indictment in the case. The dispute will likely be left for Common Pleas Judge Glenn "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. parts, Peruto said. woman who believes she contracted hepatitis from a tainted body The black-market sales occurred from at least February 2004 through September 2005, prosecutors said. FBI agents found that Hess forged dozens of body-donor consent forms. Published Dec 19, 2008. (Reuters) -A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission. It was not immediately known if the three funeral directors had attorneys. Mastromarino plans to surrender Tuesday in Philadelphia and will The group also lowered the donors' ages and changed their dates of death to make it appear the body parts were more fresh, authorities said. The highest prices . A Colorado woman who operated a funeral home pleaded guilty to fraud this week after being accused of stealing and selling bodies and body parts, officials said. The body-part industry has been booming, growing from 200,000 transplants in 1989 to 1,200,000 in 2003. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged family consent forms, the indictment said. Ms. Koch has pleaded not guilty, but she has a change of plea hearing scheduled for July 12. Louis Garzone's attorney, Howard Kaufman, said he had not seen the grand jury report and so could not comment on the charges. 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Mastromarino owned Biomedical Tissue Services, a New Jersey Seven funeral directors there have pleaded guilty, including one whose funeral home allegedly removed parts from the body of the late "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. But prosecutors here are balking at any 2-for-1 deal. Folger, who brought a small U.S. flag to the court hearing. 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. Most brokers who sell body parts offer to cremate part of the donor's body for free. After Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Chaffin made his sentencing recommendation, the lawyer for Hess, Dan Shaffer, urged a lighter sentence of about two years in prison. A Colorado-based funeral home director has been sentenced to 20 years in prison stemming from a litany of charges including fraud and illegally selling the body parts or bodies of approximately 500 individuals whose families did not consent to that practice.. Megan Hess, 46, who supervised the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado, recently pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aiding .
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