A Kansas man who admitted operating an unlawful post-mortem scheme has been sentenced to almost six years in jail for wire fraud.
Shawn Parcells, 42, who lived in Topeka and Leawood, was sentenced Monday in federal court docket to 1 rely of wire fraud, the U.S. Lawyer's workplace mentioned. He pleaded responsible in Might. As a part of the plea deal, 9 different fraud counts have been dropped.
Parcells, as proprietor of Nationwide Post-mortem Companies, persuaded a consumer to pay $5,000 for an post-mortem, in response to court docket information. The consumer acquired an emailed post-mortem report that seemed to be authored by Parcells. No pathologist was concerned within the examination or report, which is against the law.
Between 2016 and 2019, Parcells, a self-taught pathology assistant with no formal schooling, made greater than $1.1 million from greater than 350 shoppers for autopsies, most of which he didn't carry out, in response to court docket information.
Parcells, who ran three corporations, was additionally charged in 2019 by Kansas Lawyer Basic Derek Schmidt with conducting unlawful autopsies.
In August, Parcells was banned from doing enterprise in Kansas and ordered to pay greater than $700,000 in restitution and fines for the state instances. He was additionally ordered to pay over $250,000 in restitution to 82 folks that used his providers.
That got here after he was convicted in November of three felonies and three misdemeanors associated to offering unlawful autopsies in Wabaunsee County.
Prosecutors found that Parcells collected greater than 1,600 organic samples, principally human tissue, as a part of the scheme. The Kansas Division of Well being and Surroundings took custody of the samples and victims have till Oct. 6 to say them.