Former funeral director pleads guilty to stealing and selling human remains, prosecutors say

Former funeral home operator pleads guilty to stealing human remains and selling them

(CNN) --

A former Colorado funeral director has pleaded guilty to stealing and then selling hundreds of human bodies and human remains to people who acquired them for scientific, medical or educational purposes, according to prosecutors.

Megan Hess, 45, admitted Tuesday to one count of mail fraud and accessory to crime, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for Colorado.

Hess had devised and executed the scheme beginning in 2010 and ending in 2018, according to the plea agreement.

He could serve up to 20 years in prison, and the sides have discussed setting a sentencing date for January, DOJ spokeswoman Deborah Takahara told CNN.

Hess and his mother Shirley Koch were indicted in 2020 on six counts of mail fraud and three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials.

On Tuesday, Hess pleaded guilty to the only charge during a change of plea hearing in Colorado district court, according to prosecutors.

Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors & Donor Services Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado.

Koch's change of plea hearing is scheduled for July 12, according to court records.

CNN reached out to Daniel Shaffer, Hess's lead attorney, and Koch's attorney, Martha Horwitz Eskesen, for comment.

advertising

• Kansas Woman Who Led Female ISIS Battalion in Syria Pleads Guilty

Hess and Koch, who ran the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, met with bereaved families and offered cremation services for $1,000 or more, but many never took place, according to the Department's 2020 news release. of Justice.

Instead, Hess shipped human bodies and body parts from his Montrose, Colorado, funeral home through a business he created called Donor Services, which served as a brokerage service for bodies.

"In at least dozens of cases, Hess and Koch failed to follow the wishes of the families, and neither discussed nor obtained authorization for Donor Services to transfer the bodies or body parts of the decedents to third parties," the Justice Department said.

• Former energy company executive sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of Berta Cáceres

And in the few cases where families agreed to donate, Hess and Koch sold the remains of those corpses beyond the families' authorization, which was often limited to small tissue samples, tumors, or bits of skin.

In addition, they handed over to families what they said were cremated remains, although "often this was not the case," according to the Justice Department.

CorpsesFraudsale