A Colorado funeral home owner has pleaded guilty to mail fraud after she admitted to illegally selling body parts and supplying clients with fake ashes.
Megan Hess and her mother, Shirley Koch, ran the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado between 2010 and 2018. During those 8 years, they allegedly offered cremation and provided other services to grieving families at $1,000 and higher. According to a grand jury indictment, many of these services never happened. The duo instead shipped the bodies that died from infectious diseases, including HIV, to alternate destinations that would perform research on the corpses. They would then give the families fake ashes to replace what they had already sold.
They was indicted in 2020 on multiple charges, including mail fraud and transporting hazardous materials. They initially pleaded not guilty, but changed their minds to get a plea deal. Hess admitted that she was wrong for scamming the families and wants to try to make it right.
“I’m taking responsibility,” Hess said. “I’m here to accept the plea. The families believe I went beyond the scope of the consent forms. It has been 53 months since this legal travesty began,” she said. “Fifty-three long months.”
Hess has not been sentenced yet, but is expected to receive it in January. She is facing up to 20 years.
Discover more from KossyDerrickent
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
