58-year-old former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, Cedric Lodge, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing and selling human body parts donated for scientific research, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Lodge was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty in May to trafficking in stolen human remains.
Prosecutors said the illegal activity occurred from 2018 through at least March 2020 and involved body parts including internal organs, brains, skin, hands, faces and dissected heads, according to CBS News.
The Justice Department said Lodge abused his position at the prestigious medical school, which is located near Boston, to remove donated remains without authorization.
Harvard University confirmed that Lodge was dismissed from his role in May 2023 following the investigation.
Investigators revealed that Lodge, alongside his wife, Denise Lodge, transported the stolen body parts from the medical school to their residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, as well as to other locations in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The remains were taken “without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor, or the donor’s family” before being shipped to buyers in other states.
Denise Lodge, 65, was sentenced to one year in prison, the Justice Department said. She pleaded guilty in April 2024 for her role in the scheme.
Reacting to the sentencing, Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, said, “Today’s sentencing is another step forward in ensuring those who orchestrated and executed this heinous crime are brought to justice.”
Christopher Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, also condemned the crimes, saying, “The trafficking of stolen human remains through the US Mail is a disturbing act that victimises already grieving families while also creating a potentially hazardous situation for Postal employees and customers.
“I hope our efforts, and these sentencings bring some amount of closure to those affected by this terrible crime.”
According to the Justice Department, many of the human remains sold by Cedric Lodge were later resold by buyers at a profit.
Authorities added that several of those involved in purchasing the stolen remains have already been sentenced to jail terms or are still awaiting sentencing.
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