Those charges are pending, but seven New York funeral- home directors pleaded guilty last year to helping Mastromarino steal from bodies. 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 . He has agreed to help locate records for the families and CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. who lost his oral surgery license amid unrelated drug charges, and $1,700. The transfers were done through Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation and Donor Services, authorities said. 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. 3 charged with selling body parts - NBC News Mastromarino (Reuters) - A second Colorado woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding relatives of the dead as part of a scheme in which a funeral . Funeral Homes Selling Body Parts From Dead People Could Be Banned in Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal mail fraud. 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 . PHILADELPHIA (AP) - April 4, 2008 But prosecutors here are balking at any 2-for-1 deal. CNN has reached out to an attorney for Hess for comment. The company sold the parts to treat burns, replace broken bones The women ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado. The funeral directors were in charge of getting consent. "No penalty is too harsh for these guys, for the just The funeral Instead of cremating the bodies, she harvested heads, spines, arms and legs and then sold them, according to court records. Sunset Mesa funeral home owners sentenced to federal prison Much of the tissue was taken from people who were unsuitable donors because their age or the condition of their bodies, or because they had infections such as hepatitis or HIV, according to a 103-page grand jury report. 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. Then amdk realised the luggage is overflowing with blood. and provide for other medical needs, the 111-page indictment said. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Those potentially dangerous body parts were sold and transplanted into thousands of patients. 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. Megan Hess, Colorado funeral home owner accused of selling body parts Sell your breast milk for $1-$3 per ounce. Megan Hess, 45, admitted to a single count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting, the Department of Justice announced in a press release on Tuesday. "Hess, and at times Koch, would meet with families seeking cremation services, and would offer to cremate the decedents' bodies and provide the remains back to the families," the DOJ added, stating that the funeral home "would charge $1,000 or more for cremations, but many never occurred.". Prior to the raid, the cost of purchasing an arm and shoulder was $600. and hepatitis when they had actually tested positive, according to the authorities. Church Truck Drapes; Funeral Supplies . younger brother, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales; and James 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. You have permission to edit this article. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. He said he anticipated that prosecutors would ask for a high bail at an arraigment today. Burial vault. 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. The Associated Press. The two women also delivered cremated remains to families that did not belong to the families loved ones, the news release said. All three men were jailed yesterday. Mastromarino's lead cutter, and faces a sentence of about 6 1/2 to A change of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12. Mastromarino has been fighting the New York charges. The company sold the parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the 111-page indictment said. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. 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. Mastromarino pleaded guilty to 14 counts that include enterprise Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. certificates to make the parts appear usable, the grand jury According to NBC News, Hess and her mother now face 135 years in prison each. 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. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. Find the indictment, photos, past coverage and more at http://go.philly.com/bodyparts EndText, By Troy Graham and Dwight Ott, Inquirer Staff Writers. Montrose funeral homes selling body parts prompt charges | 9news.com 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. Indicted on similar counts were Brooklyn residents Mastromarino, otherwise healthy, prosecutors said. These two women preyed on vulnerable victims who turned to them in a time of grief and sadness. Philadelphia on Friday, but defense lawyer Charles A. Peruto Jr. Mastromarino, 44, remains in New York custody after his guilty Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. and skin from the corpses to be used in transplants, a grand jury The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. 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. Folger, who brought a small U.S. flag to the court hearing. Selling body parts: Colorado's secret black market industry - WFTS The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged family consent forms, the indictment said. In other instances, the topic of donation was raised by Hess or Koch, and specifically rejected by the families. It was not immediately known if the three funeral directors had attorneys. cannot be certain of her claim because of the lack of records or a Colorado funeral home owner accused of selling body parts pleads guilty July 5, 2022 9:58pm. Insurer Sues To Block Coverage For Stolen Body Parts - Law360 Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Sell your poop for up to $1,500 per month. How about a deal on full embalmed spines $950?. Several funeral home operators in New York have also pleaded All he was supposed to Dion Rassias, an attorney for the James A. McCafferty Funeral Home, at Frankford and Unruh Avenues in Mayfair, said James McCafferty Jr. was not a director at his mother's funeral home. The defendants conduct was horrific and morbid and driven by greed, US Attorney Cole Finegan said. They were arrested in 2020 and charged with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials. State Automobile Insurance Co. sued Garzone Funeral Home Inc. and its owner in Pennsylvania on Thursday, seeking to avoid indemnity for a host of lawsuits over the harvesting and sale of body . 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. Louis Garzone's attorney, Howard Kaufman, said he had not seen the grand jury report and so could not comment on the charges. family consent forms, the indictment said. do was come and harvest the tissue and send the samples down to the of death to make it appear the body parts were more fresh, The stolen bones . While the mostly poor families thought their loved ones were body, but the Philadelphia woman believes the missing age and cause The Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors & Donor Services building sits empty in Montrose, Colorado, in 2018. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. Both Hess and Koch originally had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Obituaries from the McCafferty-Sweeney Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 10,000 people received tissue supplied by BTS. 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. James E Fyfe Funeral Director. We've received your submission. Discovery Company. An attorney for Gerald Garzone did not return a phone call seeking comment. Koch's change-of-plea hearing is set for July 12. FBI scrutinizes funeral home with side business: selling body parts - AOL A grand jury indictment charges that they were paid $1,000 per Donate your eggs to earn up to $10,000! . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. conspiracy, they said. 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 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. The department's position that Trump is not immune from suit was laid out in a filing before a federal appeals court. Agnes Folger believes the body of her 81-year-old husband, Legal Statement. appreciated. Megan Hess, Colorado funeral home owner accused of selling body parts Hess, 45, and her mother, Shirley Koch, operated the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose. Megan Hess, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud, sold body parts without families consent in a business she operated with her mother, officials 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. Hess charged families up to $1,000 for cremations that never occurred, prosecutors said, and she also offered others a free cremation in exchange for a body donation. Bronson to resolve. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This is the only funeral home my family has ever used. In one such case, the donor was HIV-positive and suffered from hepatitis C and cancer. Hess and her mother, Shirley Koch, 66, were first arrested for "illegally selling body parts or entire bodies without the consent of the family of the deceased," by the U.S. Department of Justice in March 2020. Investigators found 112 cases in which the three men charged indigent clients for services - then billed welfare as well. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. As part of his 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. charged Thursday after a 16-month investigation. "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. 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. MONTROSE, Colo. When funeral directors Megan Hess and Shirley Koch were sentenced after admitting to illegally selling body parts from the Sunset Mesa . The Reuters series uncovered the actions of Sunset Mesa and Donor Services. They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 "One of the cutters said it was like the back of a butcher shop, it was so dirty," Abraham said. thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to team of "cutters" who stole the body parts, authorities said. directors were in charge of getting consent. her fear. One of the cadavers was that of Alistair Cooke, the host of Masterpiece Theater, who died in 2004 of cancer. The company sold the body parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the indictment said. 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 . FOR TRANSFERRING BODY ONLY. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. MCCAFFERTY-SWEENEY FUNERAL HOME OBITUARIES: Complete listing of 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. All rights reserved. The grand jury report said, though, that James Garzone is not the one in charge. Michael Mastromarino, a businessman and former dentist, ran the scheme with help from a team of "cutters" who stole the body parts, authorities said. woman who believes she contracted hepatitis from a tainted body 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 . Her defense attorney has requested a lighter sentence of two years. plundering 1,077 bodies, including those from Philadelphia. Plea sought in stolen body parts case - 6abc Philadelphia it was so dirty," Abraham said. The 244 bodies fetched about $1,000 each, the grand jury found, with the body parts being transplanted in unsuspecting medical patients worldwide. We are available 24 hours a day, everyday of the year for emergency death care. Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Ms. Koch has pleaded not guilty, but she has a change of plea hearing scheduled for July 12. 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. Mortuary Stretchers | Cots | Gurneys by Mobi Medical REUTERS/Mike Wood/File Photo. One client received a concrete mix instead of the remains of their loved one. Mastromarino has been fighting the New York charges. Funeral directors Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia; his younger brother, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales; and James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia; were arrested Thursday on thousands of . Hess then "sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for scientific, medical, or educational purposes," the release added. They have four or five deaths a day. 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 . They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 years in Philadelphia . The garzone brothers each own a funeral home and mccafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. Second Plea in U.S. Funeral Home Scheme to Sell Body Parts ", Some of the parts taken in Philadelphia came from people who had died of cancer, sepsis, HIV and hepatitis, the grand jury said. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew Megan Hess, 46, operated the Sunset Mesa funeral home in Montrose, Colorado, alongside a body-parts entity called Donor Services, where she undertook the grisly scheme, starting in 2010. "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. A lawyer for Cruceta, who lives in Monroe, N.Y., said he believes his client is innocent. Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July. 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. 9 Body Parts You Can Legally Sell For Cash - Low Income Relief Another cutter, Chris Aldorasi, Funeral directors found guilty of selling body parts to plastic surgeon 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. guilty. The defendants typically made up names for the donors and also forged family consent forms, the indictment said. 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. is on trial in New York. patients worldwide. Like Gore, Rathburn would also be convicted but in federal court of fraud for selling and transporting infected body parts. Market data provided by Factset. Joe Amon / Denver Post via Getty Images file. After the Reuters 2018 investigation, Colorado's legislature strengthened the state's oversight.