(WHTM) — A Pennsylvania man will spend six years in prison for trafficking stolen human remains, according to officials.
The Department of Justice said Jeremy Pauley, 43, of Thompson, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Matthew Brann for conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Enola man charged with allegedly buying, selling human remains on Facebook
Pauley will also serve three years on supervised release following his sentence, and he has to pay a $2,000 fine, the DOJ said.
Pauley was living in Enola, Cumberland County, in August 2022 and was arrested by East Pennsboro Township Police after a report of him buying body parts on Facebook.
According to prosecutors, Pauley admitted to working with others who bought and sold human remains from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary. Pauley bought some of those remains despite knowing they were stolen and he also sold some to others.
Some of the remains were meant to be cremated and were donated to and used for research purposes, prosecutors said.
Police say they located 15-20 human skulls that “came from a legitimate purchase,” however, further investigation found 3-5 gallon buckets containing various human organs and bones.
According to court records, the buckets contained two human brains, skin, a heart, a kidney, a spleen, fat, a skull with hair, two livers, six pieces of skin/fat, a trachea, a child mandible with teeth, and two lungs.
Cumberland County District Attorney Seán McCormack said at the time of Pauley’s arrest that the case was “one of the most bizarre” he has seen in his career.
Prior report -> Woman pleads guilty in stolen remains scheme involving Pennsylvania men
Several others have entered guilty pleas in the case and have already been sentenced to prison, according to the DOJ.
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“The trafficking of stolen human remains through the US Mail is a disturbing act that
victimizes already grieving families while also creating a potentially hazardous situation for
Postal employees and customers,” Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service Christopher Nielsen said. “I hope our efforts, and these sentencings, bring some amount of closure to those affected by this terrible crime.”
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