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October 11, 2008 3:50:39 AM CDT

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Stories related to: funeral home

Stories

4 Stories

  • September 2008

    • As Cremations Increase, So Do Options

      Washington Post  |  Sep 7, 08 2:00 PM CDT

      As Cremations Increase, So Do Options

      (Newser) - The cremation industry is booming, a reflection of tighter economic times and a push from consumers for more creative funeral options, reports the Washington Post . Cremations, cheaper than traditional burial, rose 7% nationwide in the past 5 years and made up 35% of the funeral market last year. Funeral homes are building or expanding crematorium facilities, and entrepreneurs are devising new ways to memorialize ashes. More »

      Tags

      business  • death  • cremation  • burial  • funeral home  • casket

    • Philly Corpse-Plundering Case Ends in Guilty Pleas

      Associated Press  |  Sep 2, 08 1:55 PM CDT

      Philly Corpse-Plundering Case Ends in Guilty Pleas

      (Newser) - Two brothers who ran a Philadelphia funeral home pleaded guilty today to selling corpses, including that of Masterpiece Theatre host Alistair Cooke, to a company that trafficked in stolen body parts, the AP reports. They may get life sentences for allowing the remains of 244 clients to be dismembered for $1,000 each by a corrupt tissue bank. More »

      Tags

      crime  • court  • Philadelphia  • funeral home

  • July 2008

    • 'Predatory' Funeral Industry Comes Under Fire

      Newsweek  |  Jul 5, 08 6:21 PM CDT

      'Predatory' Funeral Industry Comes Under Fire

      (Newser) - The funeral industry preys on bereft customers, artificially raising prices and taking custody of bodies it has no right to handle, argues a watchdog group. The Funeral Consumers Alliance aims to push fair and environmentally friendly death-care practices, Newsweek reports. “Funeral corporations use predatory sales tactics and aggressive marketing to get people to spend on services they don't need,” says the group’s director. More »

      Tags

      environment  • death  • funeral  • cremation  • watchdog  • burial  • funeral home

  • March 2008

    • Man Admits to Selling Stolen Body Parts

      Star-Ledger  |  Mar 18, 08 9:57 PM CDT

      Man Admits to Selling Stolen Body Parts

      (Newser) - A New Jersey dentist who ran a business plundering body parts from corpses in funeral homes pleaded guilty in Brooklyn today, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Michael Mastromarino, 44, admitted to removing bones and tissue from two dozen corpses, which were sold to tissue processors for use in transplants and other surgery. He now owes $4.68 million and faces up to 54 years in prison. More »

      Tags

      corruption  • New Jersey  • medical records  • transplant  • forgery  • funeral home

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