Colorado funeral home owner accused of selling body parts pleads guilty

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A Colorado funeral dwelling operator accused of illegally offering physique sections and supplying clients bogus ashes has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court docket.

The Day by day Sentinel experiences that Megan Hess faces a highest sentence of 20 decades in jail just after coming into the plea Tuesday in Grand Junction. Other prices against Hess will be dropped beneath a plea arrangement, the Sentinel claimed.

Hess, 45, and her mother, Shirley Koch, operated the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose. They have been arrested in 2020 and charged with six counts of mail fraud and a few counts of illegal transportation of hazardous products.

A grand jury indictment mentioned that from 2010 by way of 2018, Hess and Koch supplied to cremate bodies and present the stays to households at a value of $1,000 or more, but a lot of of the cremations hardly ever happened.

Hess had produced a nonprofit business in 2009 known as Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation as a entire body-broker provider accomplishing company as Donor Expert services, authorities stated.

On dozens of occasions, Hess and Koch transferred bodies or body parts to 3rd functions for study with no families’ understanding, according to the U.S. Justice Section. The transfers were performed by way of Sunset Mesa Funeral Foundation and Donor Companies, authorities mentioned.

Hess and Koch also transported bodies and human body components that examined good for, or belonged to folks who died from, infectious health conditions which includes Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, even with certifying to potential buyers that the remains were being ailment-free of charge, authorities claimed.

Both equally Hess and Koch initially had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Hess is tentatively set to be sentenced in January. A improve of plea hearing for Koch is scheduled for July 12.

Prosecutors suggested a sentence for Hess of 12 to 15 years.