Former Mortuary Worker Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Body Parts
Thirty-seven-year-old Candace Chapman Scott has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
Background
A former mortuary worker in Arkansas, Scott sold 24 boxes of stolen body parts from medical school cadavers to a Pennsylvania man for nearly $11,000. The incident was reported by the Associated Press on Thursday.
Scott initially pleaded not guilty when indicted in 2023. She was among several individuals charged in a nationwide scheme to steal and sell human body parts from an Arkansas mortuary and Harvard Medical School.
Details of the Case
An indictment sealed in 2023 revealed that Scott orchestrated transactions with Jeremy Pauley, a man from Pennsylvania whom she met through a Facebook group. Pauley, in September, pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft and sale of body parts from the Arkansas mortuary and Harvard.
Legal Consequences
As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors dropped 10 other wire and mail charges against Scott. However, she could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of transporting stolen property. Additionally, Scott may face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the mail fraud charge.
Scott’s Employment and Allegations
Scott worked at the Arkansas Central Mortuary Services, where her responsibilities included transporting, cremating, and embalming remains. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences confirmed that the medical school sent cadaver remains for student examination to this facility.
Details from the Indictment
The indictment from last year stated that Scott initiated contact with Pauley in October 2021, offering to sell him remains from the medical school that were meant to be cremated and returned by the mortuary. Over the following nine months, Scott allegedly sold Pauley various body parts, including fetuses, brains, hearts, lungs, genitalia, and large pieces of skin. There was even an instance where Scott offered a discount on the remains of a fetus, mentioning “he’s not in great shape.”