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MONTROSE, CO – A former funeral home owner and her mother have been convicted of fraud after it was discovered they had been selling body parts of the deceased for profit without consent from the family members.

The former owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison while her mother was sentenced to 15 years.

Megan Hess “organ harvested” body parts from 560 dead bodies in Colorado. Under current laws in 40 out of 50 states, according to Reuters, anyone can dissect and sell human bodies. pic.twitter.com/mJqEKgWzYY

— Sk Boz Phd (@ProfessorBoz) January 5, 2023

Organizations that take care of the deceased throughout the country often contract with an outside agency that solicits tissues and organs for transplantation services.

Both entities are required by law to ensure that family members of the deceased consent to any harvesting before it occurs which seemingly was not the case with Sunset Mesa and Donor Services in Montrose.

The former owner of both companies, 46-year-old Megan Hess, plead guilty in federal court in July of this year after an investigation showed she was defrauding the relatives of the deceased by selling the body parts of 560 corpses without consent. After she plead guilty, the federal judge sentenced her to the maximum allowed by law, 20 years.

Hess’ mother, 69-year-old Shirley Koch, plead guilty as well to fraud and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Koch’s role in the scheme was the dissection of the corpses for the body parts that were being offered for sale.

Federal authorities reported some of the remains that were sent to different buyers for medical research or other legal means that were infected with infectious diseases without notifying them. Some of the remains sent had tested positive for or died from Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and other deadly diseases.

Hess and Koch also lied to family members requesting their loved ones be cremated by taking up to $1,000 for the service while not performing it. Instead, Hess and Koch would send the loved one’s ashes from other people who had been cremated while selling their family member’s body parts.

A Colorado funeral home operator Megan Hess accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday by a federal court judge.

Her 69-year-old Mom and accomplices Shirley Koch sentenced to 15-years in prison.
–#meganhess pic.twitter.com/orYmSxY9y1

— (IG) Hallesblogafrica (@hallesblog) January 4, 2023

Federal prosecutor Tim Neff explained part of the fraudulent scheme that Hess and Koch plead guilty to in a court filing:

“Hess and Koch used their funeral home at times to essentially steal bodies and body parts using fraudulent and forged donor forms. Hess and Kock’s conduct caused immense emotional pain for the families and next of kin.”

After hearing the case, United States District Judge Christine M. Arguello reported this case was the most “emotionally draining case” she had ever heard. Judge Arguello said:

“This is the most emotionally draining case I have ever experienced on the bench. It’s concerning to the court that defendant Hess refuses to assume responsibility for her conduct.”

Hess’ defense attorney, attempting to get a lighter sentence for Hess, argued that she had been unfairly targeted as a “witch…monster…ghoul” during the investigation.

Instead, the lawyer claimed that Hess may not have been fully culpable for her actions because she is a “broken human being” due to a traumatic brain injury when she was younger.

The investigation into Hess and Koch was seemingly started after Reuters began an investigative series regarding the sale of body parts throughout the country.

According to Reuters, former employees of Koch and Hess reported the pair performed dissections of human remains without the consent of the next of kin. A few months after the original story was published, the FBI executed a search warrant on the funeral home.

🇺🇸Funeral Parlour Owner Gets 20 Years for Selling Body Parts

Megan Hess, 46, has been sentenced to 20 years in US federal prison for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission using fake donor forms.

RT India pic.twitter.com/N4YNx8OYnl

— Amicable News (@amicablenews) January 4, 2023

After hearing all arguments, Judge Arguello lowered the harshest prison sentence she could order, twenty years. The Judge ordered Hess to be immediately remanded to custody.

While Hess received a harsh sentence, her mother, Koch, got a fifteen-year sentence, most likely in part because she owned up for her actions and noted remorse to the judge.

In all, federal authorities were able to identify 26 different victims from whom Hess and Koch removed body parts and organs without the family members’ consent. And, in some cases, they lied and told grieving family members that their loved ones had been cremated after charging up to $1,000…when they were not.

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The following includes editorial content which is the opinion of the writer.

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WASHINGTON, DC- In the same week we received warnings that al Qaeda may be planning a “retooled” 9/11-style attack using American jetliners comes a report that the Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS, may be reconstituting itself.

The Washington Times reports that a resurgence of the terrorist group may be coming later this year, citing military officials and national security insiders. They believe that conditions across the Middle East and Africa are ripe for a revival of the group, as the Biden administration worries itself with dropping billions on Ukraine and implementing woke policies in the military.

Pentagon warns of ‘next generation’ of extremist fighters as terror group ISIS plots 2023 comebackhttps://t.co/5GCYkYLeCh pic.twitter.com/sdwBSe9f5Y

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 6, 2023

Those officials suggest that ISIS is poised for a comeback as a major terrorist force and a threat to global stability, as well as American national security. Add to that the fact the administration has left the southern border open to anyone desiring to come to the United States and commit harm and it appears to be a perfect storm.

Under former President Trump, ISIS had been emasculated to the point of apparent insignificance. Now however it appears that the group whose caliphate at one time controlled a substantial swath of territory in Iraq and Syria is ready for a comeback.

According to the unnamed military officials and national security insiders, ISIS is likely planning to undertake a “revenge tour” against the United States and its allies after US air strikes killed a number of ISIS leaders and what were described as “high ranking” officials.

While ISIS has nowhere near the numbers it had around ten years ago, it still maintains thousands of Islamic idealogues within its numbers. It is believed the group still is more than capable of carrying out deadly terrorist attacks, including on the US homeland.

The Times notes that some US analysts have warned of “strategic neglect” by the United States and its allies to the threat of a reconstitution of ISIS.

In the past week alone, ISIS claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in the Egyptian city of Ismailia, which killed four people. They also said a bombing near the Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed and wounded several people, was their handiwork, according to Afghan officials.

The Kabul bombing was the latest among a string of terrorist attacks by ISIS and its affiliates in Afghanistan since the Biden administration abandoned the country and allowed the Taliban to regain control of the country.

During that failed withdrawal mission, ISIS committed a suicide bombing in August 2021 at the Kabul airport. That resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and a number of civilians as the Biden administration conducted what can only be described as a chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country.

While all of this was going on, Pentagon officials have concerned themselves with so-called “extremism” within the ranks of the US military, as reported in December 2021 by Politico.

At that time, the Pentagon issued new rules which prohibited service members from engaging in “extremist activities.” That was a result of some members attending the January 2021 rally at the US Capitol where a small number of attendees engaged in violence, leading leftist idealogues to call the rally an “insurrection.”

Politico reported that less than 100 military members were alleged to have been involved in cases of “extremist” activity in the prior year, however warned they believe those numbers may grow due to so-called “spikes” in domestic violent extremism, including some involving veterans.

The policy implemented by the Pentagon banned a number of activities, ranging from advocating terrorism or supporting the overthrow of the government, fundraising or rallying on behalf of so-called “extremist” groups, and even “liking” or sharing extremist views on social media.

The new policy more clearly defined what the Pentagon believed constituted extremist activity. However according to far left idealogue and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a more wide-ranging effort to root out so-called extremism in the armed forces came about because military veterans, as well as current service members were present at the US Capitol incident on January 6, 2021.

Meanwhile, true threats to the United States, such as al Qaeda and ISIS, are preparing themselves to attack the United States once again and/or our allies as the Pentagon concerns itself with members who may support groups such as the Proud Boys, which some leftists such as the Southern Poverty Law Center deem an extremist group.

Terrorist groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS look at the United States under the “leadership” of Joe Biden and realize we are ripe for the picking.

We learned nothing from September 11, 2001.

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Roman Abramovich transferred superyachts and private jets worth …  msnNOW

The post Roman Abramovich transferred superyachts and private jets worth … – msnNOW first appeared on The Russia And Ukraine News – The News And Times.

Russian attacks reported in at least seven Ukraine regions despite Putin’s ceasefire pledge; shelling reportedly damages power plants in Moscow-controlled region

• What we know on day 319 of the invasion

One person was killed as a result of the attack on the Starobesheve power plant in Novyi Svit, Russia’s state TASS news agency said on Sunday.

The thermal power plant was one of two in part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region that is controlled by Russian forces that were damaged in a rocket attack by the Ukrainian army, Moscow-installed officials said.

The body of one dead woman was extracted from under the rubble at the plant.

The tasks set by the president (Putin) for the special military operation will still be fulfilled.

And there definitely will be a victory.

Continue reading…