Former Burr Oak Cemetery director Carolyn Towns was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a variety of crimes including dismembering a human body, theft from a place of worship, and desecration of human remains.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Towns' sentencing comes almost exactly two years after the grave reselling scandal was discovered at the historic black burial grounds.
In the scandal, Towns was accused of conning the families of recently deceased persons and selling them already-occupied graves. Towns was accused of digging up occupied plots and either dumping the remains of the existing grave into a rubbish pile or "double stacking" the grave.
In their investigation, officials discovered bones and caskets dumped in piles after they had been dug up. They also found several bodies buried together in a single grave, reports the Sun-Times.
Over the course of several years, Towns allegedly made $300,000 in her scheme, reports the Sun-Times. Her own attorney said that she stole the money to feed her gambling addiction which "blinded her sense of what she knew was right."
Along with the criminal charges brought against Carolyn Towns, the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal also led to several lawsuits filed against the cemetery's parent company which bankrupted the cemetery.
In addition, the Illinois legislature passed the Cemetery Oversight Act which took effect last year to help prevent future grave reselling scandals. Under the Act, cemetary costumers are protected by a "Consumer Bill of Rights" which entitles them to better information about the costs of burials as well as the exact location of the burial.
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