Funeral Home Illegally Selling Body Parts...Replacing Them With PVC Piping, Etcetera
 

Shocking Body Parts Investigation

Tonight four people face criminal charges, including the head of Bio-Medical Tissue Services, a downstate company that harvested human tissue and organs for transplants.

8 local funeral homes and 3 area hospitals are also tied to the investigation. Very graphic and gruesome details unveiled here Thursday by the Kings County district attorney.

The shocking local link is that more local funeral homes did business with BTS than previously thought. Over the course of four years, investigators say body parts were harvested from 1,077 corpses without knowledge of family members and with no guarantee the parts were safe for transplant.

A distraught son held the picture of his deceased father.

"Tore me apart, tore me apart," says Anthony Dumane.

It's one of more than one thousand cases of what's being called medical terrorism. X-rays depict the disturbing findings. People's deceased loved ones filled with PVC piping where bones and tissue were allegedly illegally harvested and sold for transplants.

"What is particularly most disturbing is the fact that no medical precautions were taken to ensure that the tissue transplants were free from disease or defect," says Kings County DA Charles J. Hynes.

Investigators here say the parts came from 30 to 40 funeral homes nationwide, including Rochester.

8 local funeral homes did business with BTS, including the Thomas E Burger Home in Hilton, the Jarmusz Cotton Home in Victor and the Profetta Funeral Home. But the DA here made it very clear that there's no evidence any funeral directors conspired with the defendant.

"Mr. Mastromarino would approach people, funeral homes, and say "I'm looking to get into what's called a long bone donation program. Do you have any interest in participating in this program,'" says Kings County Assistant DA Josh Hanshaft.

The investigation continues with the focus on the former BTS office in Brighton. Authorities in Rochester have been asked for their assistance.

"I've spoken today to District Attorney Mike Green of Monroe County. We'll be working together as this investigation goes further," says Hynes.

The defendants charged today pleaded not guilty. Investigators here are not ruling out the possibility of more charges in this case. Also today we learned that Rochester General Hospital did receive tissue samples which originated from BTS. They tell us that 12 patients received those samples, all were tested and all are said to be ok. That was the case at Strong Hospital and Park Ridge as well.