The operator of a Colorado funeral home who was accused of stealing body parts and selling them to medical and scientific buyers, making hundreds of thousands of dollars in what the . "He was victimized by the funeral directors. All rights reserved. They were arrested in 2020 and charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. It was not immediately known if the three funeral directors had attorneys. South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life without parole in the fatal shootings of his wife, son. "This was not a coincidence," the grand jury said. or redistributed. Few state laws provide any regulation, and almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell human body parts. Second plea in U.S. funeral home scheme to sell body parts. 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. 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. 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. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it Associated Press. then sold to the tissue banks for dental implants, knee and hip Discovery Company. He did not appear at a pretrial hearing in Joseph, was plundered before his April 2004 cremation. The black-market sales occurred from at least February 2004 through September 2005, prosecutors said. 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. McCafferty, 38, received significantly less time compared to his co-conspirators - brothers . In 2014, the FBI raided Gore's chop shop in Phoenix, and were . A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 years in Philadelphia . Legal Statement. Mar 19, 2020 at 8:17 pm. Mastromarino then falsified paperwork to change the causes of death, the age of the deceased and their medical history, the grand jury said. This story has been shared 102,319 times. All he was supposed to do was come and harvest the tissue and send the samples down to the processors," defense lawyer Mario Gallucci said. company that shipped bones, skin and tendons to tissue processors. cutter arrived, authorities said. The extent of any medical complications that resulted from the transplants remains unknown, she said. "I love Louis.". A further eight criminal charges against her were dropped as a part of a plea deal, the newspaper added Tuesday. IE 11 is not supported. Mechafanboy said: There's a case in little India a few years back. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A burial vault is required for most cemeteries, but you may choose to purchase one online or elsewhere, if you'd wish. 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. They each pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. Ms. Koch has pleaded not guilty, but she has a change of plea hearing scheduled for July 12. From 2017-2021 Matthews was a guest host for RUSH Limbaugh and had the honor of hosting the last show on Rush's EIB Network-including the final Open Line Friday. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Mastromarino is already facing charges in New York for allegedly plundering 1,077 bodies, including those from Philadelphia. Funeral Home Operator Pleads Guilty in Illegal Body Part Scheme, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/us/colorado-funeral-home-owner-body-parts-guilty.html. 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). How about a deal on full embalmed spines $950?. Rent space on your skin for thousands of dollars. (Reuters) - A second Colorado woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding relatives of the dead as part of a scheme in which a funeral home sold body parts without permission . From 2010 through 2018, they would meet with people seeking cremation services either for themselves or their loved ones, according to the plea agreement. He said the state was investigating whether Louis and Gerald Garzone were still running their businesses without a license. thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to "Nobody knows the whole story," said Carmen Cologne, 47, who resides across the street. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On other occasions, their request was rejected, and sometimes, they never brought up the topic at all. The women ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado. replacements and other procedures around the country. She could face up to 20 years in prison. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. While the mostly poor families thought their loved ones were being cremated, the bodies were often left unrefrigerated for days, sometimes in alleys beside the funeral home, until a cutter arrived, authorities said. Prosecutors allege that the men took tissue samples from . Mastromarino is already facing charges in New York for allegedly 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. Gallagher scheduled Hess, who had previously pleaded not guilty, to be sentenced in January, with the prosecution calling for 12 to 15 years in prison. The funeral directors forged death certificates that said the The United States Attorney's Office for the District . Nine-year-old Lyric Jones and her mother, Teran Christian, stand outside the courthouse in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Tuesday. McCafferty, 38, received significantly less time compared to his co-conspirators . Morgan Cemetery by the Garzones. Mastromarino, 44, remains in New York custody after his guilty authorities said. A lawyer for Cruceta, who lives in Monroe, N.Y., said he believes his client is innocent. 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. Investigators found 112 cases in which the three men charged indigent clients for services - then billed welfare as well. The parts could have been transplanted into as many as 13,000 patients, the Food and Drug Administration estimated. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. Donate your eggs to earn up to $10,000! One client received a concrete mix instead of the remains of their loved one. She also offered free cremations in exchange for a body donation. Funeral directors Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia; his do was come and harvest the tissue and send the samples down to the made millions on the scheme, prosecutors say. All rights reserved. "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. James E Fyfe Funeral Director. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. A change of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12. 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. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity . Abraham said. A former employee accused her of earning$40,000 by extracting and selling the gold teeth of some of the deceased as part of the macabre scheme, according to court documents. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Did you encounter any technical issues? A stout, ruddy-faced James McCafferty Jr. - the third of the Philadelphia funeral-home operators who participated in the sickening national scam to illegally sell body parts - was sentenced yesterday to 3 1/2 to 10 years in state prison. Two family members and one friend of deceased people whose body parts were sold without permission by Hess spoke at the hearing. The funeral The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged PHILADELPHIA (AP) - April 4, 2008 Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The Associated Press. Attorney Lynne Abraham said at a news conference. younger brother, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales; and James 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 . In one such case, the donor 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "They were motivated by greed.". 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. We've received your submission. Hess, 45, and her mother, Shirley Koch, operated the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose. However, it isn't clear whether what they were allegedly doing is illegal in any way . Mastromarino plans to surrender Tuesday in Philadelphia and will fight the charges, his lawyer said. it was so dirty," Abraham said. When asked to describe the crime in a United States District Court in Grand Junction, Tuesday, Hess said, "I exceeded the scope of the consent and I'm trying to make an effort to make it right," reported The Daily Sentinel. body, but the Philadelphia woman believes the missing age and cause Like Gore, Rathburn would also be convicted but in federal court of fraud for selling and transporting infected body parts. Prosecutors recommended a sentence for Hess of 12 to 15 years. (Reuters) - A second Colorado woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding relatives of the dead as part of a scheme in which a funeral . Agnes Folger believes the body of her 81-year-old husband, alleged underlings, three funeral home operators from North of Philadelphia, and Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales, along with James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia, provided the bodies to Michael Mastromarino and . 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 . Dozens of patients, including some from Philadelphia and New Jersey, said they contracted hepatitis C after getting a transplant. Expand. Sell your poop for up to $1,500 per month. More than 200 Pennsylvanians got tissue that came directly from the Garzone funeral homes, according to the grand jury report. Former workers told Reuters about questionable practices at the facility, including the dismembering of bodies without the knowledge or consent of families. The Garzone brothers surrendered their state funeral licenses last year but continued to run their two homes, Abraham said. The Garzone brothers voluntarily surrendered their funeral director licenses last year, and the state revoked McCafferty's in an unrelated case about a month ago, officials said. 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 . Many families received ashes mixed with the remains of different cadavers, prosecutors said. In 2009, Hess and her mother, Shirley Koch, launched a nonprofit donor services organization called Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation, a body-broker service operating out of the funeral home doing business that would sell body parts to third parties mostly for surgical training and other educational purposes. plea with New York prosecutors, he agreed to forfeit $4.68 million. was HIV-positive and suffered from hepatitis C and cancer. Hundreds of patient lawsuits have been filed in federal court in New Jersey and state courts around the country. Koch's change-of-plea hearing is set for July 12. Donate bone marrow for up to $3,000. 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. The income the mother and daughter earned from selling body parts enabled them to become the cheapest option for cremations in their region, increasing their supply of cadavers, the authorities said. 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 . Meeting with hospice on the 4th opening the floodgates of donors, Hess wrote to a prospective body-part buyer in 2014. family consent forms, the indictment said. Find 1 listings related to Mccafferty Funeral Home in Ambler on YP.com. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Friday, April 4, 2008. 8-year-old cheerleader dies after Fourth of July parade ac Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Murdaugh son collapsed outside court after sitting stone-faced through dad's 6-week murder trial: source, Hated Tom Sandoval addresses Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims, Kelly Osbourne posts first photo of baby son as he hangs out with uncle Jack, Greys Anatomy alum Isaiah Washington retiring from acting: The haters have won, Max Scherzer's first look at the new pitch clock, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. According to NBC, Hess is scheduled to be sentenced in January. To maximize profits, Hess targeted poor and vulnerable families, struggling as they made arrangements in their relatives final days, according to court documents. Philadelphia on Friday, but defense lawyer Charles A. Peruto Jr. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. Megan Hess and her mother Shirley Koch defrauded over 200 families by handing over random ashes while selling body parts of deceased individuals entrusted to their funeral home. The department's position that Trump is not immune from suit was laid out in a filing before a federal appeals court. "They have four or five deaths a day. The district attorney also charged McCafferty and Louis and Gerald Garzone with defrauding a state welfare program that offers help to the poor for burial expenses. The black-market sales went on from at least February 2004 through September 2005, prosecutors said. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. He said he anticipated that prosecutors would ask for a high bail at an arraigment today. Updated: 7:04 PM MST January 5, 2023. of death to make it appear the body parts were more fresh, 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. A funeral home in Colorado has been investigated for cutting off body parts from its clients and selling them. Families of the dead had no idea the bodies were being ransacked. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Written by Maya Davis. Joe Amon / Denver Post via Getty Images file. All he was supposed to The cause was bone and brain cancer, said his attorney, Mario Gallucci. 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. They took remains without permission from 244 cadavers, an indictment says. Parts are supposed to be harvested within 15 hours of death, but some of those in Philadelphia sat unrefrigerated for up to 100 hours. Another cutter, Chris Aldorasi, A grand jury indictment charges that they were paid $1,000 per Indicted on similar counts were Brooklyn residents Mastromarino, who lost his oral surgery license amid unrelated drug charges, and Lee Cruceta, a former nurse who allegedly ran the cutting crew. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 20 years for crimes in both states. "My husband was a World War II veteran of three years," said 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. A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. 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. Colorado Funeral Home Director Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail for Illegally Selling Body Parts. The three men also jointly own Liberty Cremation. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged family consent forms, the indictment said. On dozens of occasions, Hess and Koch transferred bodies or body parts to third parties for research without families knowledge, according to the U.S. Justice Department. July 5, 2022. "Despite receiving $1,959 per child from Stevie Wonder, Louis Garzone filed a welfare claim for $750 for each," the grand jury said. $1,700. Market data provided by Factset. The Garzone brothers each own a funeral home and McCafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. 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. Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been convicted of murder in the 2021 shootings of his wife and son. what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. She has been out on bond since her arrest in 2020. 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. July 5, 2022 9:58pm. Louis Garzone's attorney, Howard Kaufman, said he had not seen the grand jury report and so could not comment on the charges. Explore life stories, offer tributes & condolences, send flowers or create a lasting online memorial for loved ones. Mastromarino charged. In Philadelphia, most of the bodies were scheduled for cremation While the mostly poor families thought their loved ones were This is the only funeral home my family has ever used. He has agreed to help locate records for the families and An attorney for Koch, Thomas E. Goodreid, declined to comment. Updated to a former oral surgeon who allegedly collected the bones, tissue 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. They took advantage of numerous victims who were at their lowest point given the recent loss of a loved one. "My job is to make sure he doesn't do additional time just Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 2023 Cable News Network. Mobi Medical Supply also offers quality mortuary stretchers and cots for the funeral home and removal services industry. 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. Add to Wishlist . Those potentially dangerous body parts were sold and transplanted into thousands of patients. Mastromarino plans to surrender Tuesday in Philadelphia and will Of the 244 bodies here, he changed the names on all but 48. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said in a release Tuesday, that Meghan Hess, 45, of Montrose, Colorado had pleaded guilty to running a complex fraud "devised and executed to steal the bodies or body parts of hundreds of victims," from 2010 to 2018. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. Even when families agreed to donation, the news release said, Hess and Koch sometimes sold the remains beyond what the family had authorized. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department and a lawyer for Ms. Koch declined to comment on the plea agreement. "There was no basis for us to take any action against James.". Tweet. 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. Prior to the raid, the cost of purchasing an arm and shoulder was $600. Several funeral home operators in New York have also pleaded years in Philadelphia, where they say his team of cutters plundered The Garzone brothers surrendered their state funeral licenses 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. 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. After the Reuters 2018 investigation, Colorado's legislature strengthened the state's oversight. 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 transplants, a grand jury charged Thursday after a 16-month investigation. The shipments went through the mail or on commercial air flights in violation of Department of Transportation regulations regarding the transportation of hazardous materials,the news release said. Chopped into pieces, thrown into luggage; one of the accomplices chose to dump the luggage in little India. Legal Statement. You have permission to edit this article. Megan Hess, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud, sold body parts without families consent in a business she operated with her mother, officials said. Mastromarino, who ran a now-defunct company called Biomedical Tissue Services, is already facing charges in New York for allegedly plundering 1,077 bodies, including those from Philadelphia. Mastromarino will also testify, if necessary, against his The Daily Sentinel reportsthat Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after entering the plea Tuesday in Grand Junction. Megan Hess, operator of Donor Services, in Montrose, Colo., pleaded guilty to mail fraud on Tuesday. Many families received ashes from bins mixed with the remains of different cadavers, authorities said, and one client received concrete mix instead of a relative's ashes. IE 11 is not supported. Mastromarino pleaded guilty to 14 counts that include enterprise A Colorado funeral home director accused of stealing and selling the body parts of hundreds of people has pleaded guilty to mail fraud. conspiracy, they said. 1,700 counts charged, such as running a criminal enterprise and Keep reading with a digital access subscription. According to a report from the DOJ at the time of the arrests, Hess and Koch's mail scheme included shipping "bodies and body parts that tested positive for, or belonging to people who had died from, infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, after certifying to buyers that the remains were disease-free. In other instances, the topic of donation was raised by Hess or Koch, and specifically rejected by the families. 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. is on trial in New York. Mastromarino often filled in phony information on death 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.