her fear. who lost his oral surgery license amid unrelated drug charges, 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 . 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 company sold the parts to treat burns, replace broken bones and provide for other medical needs, the 111-page indictment said. Explore life stories, offer tributes & condolences, send flowers or create a lasting online memorial for loved ones. 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. 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 . certificates to make the parts appear usable, the grand jury 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. This is the only funeral home my family has ever used. Add to Compare. In Kensington, neighbors defended Louis Garzone. "For one thing, cremations made it easier to deceive the next of kin.". The defendants conduct was horrific and morbid and driven by greed, US Attorney Cole Finegan said. Friday, April 4, 2008. Add to Wishlist . Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? made millions on the scheme, prosecutors say. Still, the authorities said, families typically paid $1,000 or more for a cremation that often never occurred. 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. 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. directors were in charge of getting consent. In one such case, the donor A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. A second Garzone Funeral Home , at 4151 L St., also is charged. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They told the judge that while they were still emotionally reeling from the episode and wanted to learn more details about what occurred, they welcomed the news that Hess had decided to plead guilty. So far, authorities have learned the true identities of only 48 of the 244 bodies, Abraham 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. Hess initially called the whole affair a "legal travesty." So far, authorities have learned the true identities of only 48 of the 244 bodies, Abraham said. By John Shiffman. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The Garzone brothers each own a funeral home and McCafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. In 2014, the FBI raided Gore's chop shop in Phoenix, and were . Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North "He's going to plead not guilty, and from what I've heard, the amount that's been suggested for bail is excessive. The empty Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors & Donor Services in Montrose, Colo., on Oct. 24, 2018. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. . funeral home allegedly removed parts from the body of the late The women ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado. Parts are supposed to be harvested within 15 hours of death, but some of those in Philadelphia sat unrefrigerated for up to 100 hours. 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. James E Fyfe Funeral Director. 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. 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. From 2010 through 2018, they would meet with people seeking cremation services either for themselves or their loved ones, according to the plea agreement. Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., ran the scheme with help from a Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Megan Hess, 46, was sentenced Tuesday at a hearing in Grand Junction, Colorado for dissecting 560 . A former Colorado funeral home owner pleaded guilty to secretly dissecting corpses and selling body parts without consent from mourning relatives. Legal Statement. In other instances, the topic of donation was raised by Hess or Koch, and specifically rejected by the families. Joe Amon / Denver Post via Getty Images file. They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 years in Philadelphia . McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia; were arrested Thursday on Five indicted for selling body parts . 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. Instead of cremating the bodies, court records show, her body broker company harvested heads, spines, arms and legs and then sold them, mostly for surgical training and other educational purposes. "He patients worldwide. Associated Press. About 10,000 people received tissue supplied by BTS. 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. 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. The Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors & Donor Services building sits empty in Montrose, Colorado, in 2018. The Garzone brothers each own a funeral home and McCafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. being cremated quickly, the bodies were often left unrefrigerated 1748 W Erie Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140. charged. She also offered free cremations in exchange for a body donation. A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. While the mostly poor families thought their loved ones were Donate bone marrow for up to $3,000. Former workers told Reuters about questionable practices at the facility, including the dismembering of bodies without the knowledge or consent of families. Market data provided by Factset. charged Thursday after a 16-month investigation. 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. 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. A lawyer for The defendants typically made up names for the donors and also forged family consent forms, the indictment said. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - April 4, 2008 Then amdk realised the luggage is overflowing with blood. "There was no basis for us to take any action against James.". Hess and Koch also shipped bodies and body parts that tested positive for, or belonged to people who died from, infectious diseases including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, despite certifying to buyers that the remains were disease-free, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Wood/File Photo. In such circumstances, despite lacking any authorization, Koch and Hess recovered body parts from, or otherwise prepared entire bodies of hundreds of decedents for body broker services.. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much corpse to let Mastromarino's "cutters" hack up bodies, without The three men were paid $1,000 for each body by Biomedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said. "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. CNN has reached out to an attorney for Hess for comment. Agnes Folger believes the body of her 81-year-old husband, Wales, and James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia, have pleaded not Ms. Hess altered lab reports so that they said that people had tested negative for diseases like H.I.V. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Mastromarino then falsified paperwork to change the causes of death, the age of the deceased and their medical history, the grand jury said. 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 . See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Mccafferty Funeral Home locations in Ambler, PA. . Colorado Funeral Home Director Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail for Illegally Selling Body Parts. 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. The parts could have been transplanted into as many as 13,000 patients, the Food and Drug Administration estimated. The cause was bone and brain cancer, said his attorney, Mario Gallucci. 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. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. The Garzone brothers surrendered their state funeral licenses last year but continued to run their two homes, Abraham said. When prodded by the judge, Hess agreed with the prosecution that she defrauded her victims, though she declined to go into detail. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Donate your eggs to earn up to $10,000! Both Hess and Koch originally had pleaded not guilty to the charges. This is the cost to purchase a burial vault from the funeral home. Experts estimate that a single body can be worth $100,000 in parts, and the industry as a whole has topped $1 billion in revenue per year. Hess, however, charged families to donate their bodies - $195, plus $300 more if relatives want cremated . 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The funeral directors forged death certificates that said the 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. We are available 24 hours a day, everyday of the year for emergency death care. 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. One Prosecutors are calling for Hess, who had previously pleaded not guilty, to be sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison. Megan Hess was . 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. Legal Statement. But prosecutors here are balking at any 2-for-1 deal. MONTROSE, Colo. When funeral directors Megan Hess and Shirley Koch were sentenced after admitting to illegally selling body parts from the Sunset Mesa . woman who believes she contracted hepatitis from a tainted body As part of a plea agreement, eight other criminal charges against Ms. Hess were dropped. 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. 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. Frequently, they delivered cremated remains to families with the suggestion they were the remains of their relative when, in fact, they were not, according to the indictment. The defendants typically made up names for the donors and forged Few state laws provide any regulation, and almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell human body parts. The garzone brothers each own a funeral home and mccafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. "Meeting with hospice on the 4th opening the floodgates of donors," Hess wrote to a prospective body-part buyer in 2014. of death to make it appear the body parts were more fresh, 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. 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The grand jury said five Philadelphia and 41 Pennsylvania hospitals implanted parts that originated with Mastromarino's operation. 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. Lee Cruceta, 35, of Monroe, N.Y., has admitted to being forgery and theft of body parts. 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. Two family members and one friend of deceased people whose body parts were sold without permission by Hess spoke at the hearing. "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. Updated. Mastromarino is already facing charges in New York for allegedly plundering 1,077 bodies, including those from Philadelphia. [1/2]Megan Hess, owner of Donor Services, is pictured during an interview in Montrose, Colorado, U.S., May 23, 2016 in this still image from video. 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. Koch's change-of-plea hearing is set for July 12. We've received your submission. FOR TRANSFERRING BODY ONLY. "One of the cutters said it was like the back of a butcher shop, it was so dirty," Abraham said. 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. Find 1 listings related to Mccafferty Funeral Home in Ambler on YP.com. Famous Brooklyn Funeral Home Selling Body Parts 2022. Parts & Accessories; Church Trucks. Selling organs such as hearts, kidneys and tendons for transplant is illegal in the United States. Prosecutors allege that the men took tissue samples from . Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. The department's position that Trump is not immune from suit was laid out in a filing before a federal appeals court. 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to guilty. On other occasions, their request was rejected, and sometimes, they never brought up the topic at all. Megan Hess faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal mail fraud. G. Frank Page, Jr. Funeral Home. PHILADELPHIA Three funeral directors sold hundreds of bodies "It seems like this in this case . See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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 reporter seeking comment at their businesses was told to leave. 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. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. 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 . July 5, 2022. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Donate your sperm to earn up to $1,500/mo! with the body parts being transplanted in unsuspecting medical Those body parts were sold to at least five processing companies and one major distributor. 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. 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. According to NBC News, Hess and her mother now face 135 years in prison each. Former workers describe troubling practices at this mortuary. Written by Maya Davis. The 244 bodies fetched about $1,000 each, the grand jury found, with the body parts being transplanted in unsuspecting medical patients worldwide. Buy this on Ever Loved. corruption, body stealing and reckless endangerment. These two women preyed on vulnerable victims who turned to them in a time of grief and sadness. The funeral directors were in charge of getting consent. Those potentially dangerous body parts were sold and transplanted into thousands of patients. 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. It was not immediately known if the three funeral directors had attorneys. appreciated. Some even had rigor mortis, the grand jury said. To maximize profits, Hess targeted poor and vulnerable families, struggling as they made arrangements in their relatives final days, according to court documents. Auto Body Shops Auto Glass Repair Auto Parts Auto Repair Car Detailing Oil Change Roadside Assistance Tire Shops Towing Window Tinting. Get ready!!!! "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. 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. beauty. "They couldn't and wouldn't permit the dead to go to their graves with a shred of dignity," said District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham.
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