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. A human head and spine sold for $850, while a full pelvis all the way to the toes priced out at $2,850. "They were motivated by greed.". "I love Louis.". Selling organs such as hearts, kidneys and tendons for transplant is illegal in the United States. is on trial in New York. The body-part industry has been booming, growing from 200,000 transplants in 1989 to 1,200,000 in 2003. body, but the Philadelphia woman believes the missing age and cause 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. The three men also jointly own Liberty Cremation. Those potentially dangerous body parts were sold and transplanted into thousands of patients. replacements and other procedures around the country. Meeting with hospice on the 4th opening the floodgates of donors, Hess wrote to a prospective body-part buyer in 2014. 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. 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. being cremated quickly, the bodies were often left unrefrigerated The garzone brothers each own a funeral home and mccafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. You have permission to edit this article. 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. 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. However, it isn't clear whether what they were allegedly doing is illegal in any way . Christian's grandfather was one of the victims at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home. Prosecutors allege that the men took tissue samples from . Funeral directors Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia; his plea there last month. together ran Garzone Funeral Home. Five indicted for selling body parts . Of the 244 bodies here, he changed the names on all but 48. 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 . Louis Garzone, 65, of Philadelphia, Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Mastromarino, 44, remains in New York custody after his guilty Koch's change-of-plea hearing is set for July 12. (Reuters) - A second Colorado woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding relatives of the dead as part of a scheme in which a funeral . made millions on the scheme, prosecutors say. They each pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. 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. A grand jury indictment charges that they were paid $1,000 per Mastromarino "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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. They have four or five deaths a day. guilty. They want Michael Mastromarino to serve an additional 20 to 40 One of the cadavers was that of Alistair Cooke, the host of Masterpiece Theater, who died in 2004 of cancer. Families of the dead had no idea the bodies were being ransacked. 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. We hope these prison sentences will bring the victims family members some amount of peace as they move forward in the grieving process.. In one such case, the donor 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. 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. In some cases, the pair would ship bodies and body parts that tested positive for or belonged to people who had died from infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV after certifying to buyers that the remains were disease-free, the news release 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 . "He was victimized by the funeral directors. 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. The three Philadelphia suspects were taken into custody and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. How about a deal on full embalmed spines $950?. 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. do was come and harvest the tissue and send the samples down to the Some even had rigor mortis, the grand jury said. cutter arrived, authorities said. Market data provided by Factset. corruption, body stealing and reckless endangerment. The Garzone brothers each own a funeral home and McCafferty was the director at a funeral home owned by his mother, the report said. 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. because there are bodies in Pennsylvania," Peruto said. But the sale of cadavers and body parts for use in research or education, which is what Hess did, is not regulated by federal law. By John Shiffman. The women ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado. 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. of Philadelphia, and Gerald Garzone, 47, of North Wales, along with James McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia, provided the bodies to Michael Mastromarino and . Brothers Louis and Gerald Garzone, along with James McCafferty, Most brokers who sell body parts offer to cremate part of the donor's body for free. Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., ran the scheme with help from a All Rights Reserved. Auto Body Shops Auto Glass Repair Auto Parts Auto Repair Car Detailing Oil Change Roadside Assistance Tire Shops Towing Window Tinting. $ 124.95 . 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. Chopped into pieces, thrown into luggage; one of the accomplices chose to dump the luggage in little India. FOR TRANSFERRING BODY ONLY. 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. She also offered free cremations in exchange for a body donation. Morgan Cemetery Mastromarino owned Biomedical Tissue Services, a New Jersey See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. From 2010 through 2018, they would meet with people seeking cremation services either for themselves or their loved ones, according to the plea agreement. Megan Hess, who operated a funeral home called Sunset Mesa and a human body parts business called Donor Services from the same building, entered the plea to the charge of fraud at a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gordon Gallagher in Grand Junction, Colorado. All three men were jailed yesterday. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew what was going on," lawyer George Vomvolakis said. $950?". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The family of actor Tom Sizemore is currently "deciding end of life matters" following an update from doctors, according to a statement receiv. 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. . 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. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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. Hess is tentatively set to be sentenced in January. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity . The dispute will likely be left for Common Pleas Judge Glenn A federal grand jury indicted Hess and Koch in 2020. "It seems like this in this case . 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. Add to Wishlist . by the Garzones. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. More than 200 Pennsylvanians got tissue that came directly from the Garzone funeral homes, according to the grand jury report. "I've yet to be shown a single shred of evidence that he knew 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. Hess forged dozens of body donor consent forms, federal investigators found. The lucrative parts were 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. part is pursuing a civil suit, Abraham said. Few state laws provide any regulation, and almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell human body parts. McCafferty, 38, received significantly less time compared to his co-conspirators . it was so dirty," Abraham said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. McCafferty, 37, of Philadelphia; were arrested Thursday on 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. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - April 4, 2008 But prosecutors here are balking at any 2-for-1 deal. Folger, who brought a small U.S. flag to the court hearing. cannot be certain of her claim because of the lack of records or a 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.. California residents do not sell my data request. Buy this on Ever Loved. Then amdk realised the luggage is overflowing with blood. Generally, a broker can sell a donated human body for about $3,000 to $5,000, though prices sometime . Burial vault. REUTERS. James E Fyfe Funeral Director. "He's going to plead not guilty, and from what I've heard, the amount that's been suggested for bail is excessive. thousands of counts, ranging from running a corrupt organization to Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "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. 1748 W Erie Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140. "Nobody knows the whole story," said Carmen Cologne, 47, who resides across the street. Lee Cruceta, 35, of Monroe, N.Y., has admitted to being "Despite receiving $1,959 per child from Stevie Wonder, Louis Garzone filed a welfare claim for $750 for each," the grand jury said. Philadelphia on Friday, but defense lawyer Charles A. Peruto Jr. 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. Wetzel and Son Funeral Home Inc. 6902 Rising Sun Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19111. 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. The grand jury report said, though, that James Garzone is not the one in charge. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He's not a flight risk," Kaufman said shortly after visiting his client last night. Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been convicted of murder in the 2021 shootings of his wife and son. The stolen bones . REUTERS/Mike Wood/File Photo. The two men were expected to surrender to Philadelphia authorities this week. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, team of "cutters" who stole the body parts, authorities said. The grand jury said five Philadelphia and 41 Pennsylvania hospitals implanted parts that originated with Mastromarino's operation. The company sold the parts to treat burns, replace broken bones