It’s an industry with a long and storied history of corruption, and it’s foolish to believe that that’s magically stopped somehow. It continues to happen to this day.

You can peruse more cases by using your favorite search engine or ChatGPT to search “medical examiners found guilty of taking bribes”, or similar. The information on the cases is not always easy to turn up, and with ChatGPT in particular you need to be careful to verify the info, of course.

Some ChatGPT provided examples:

1. The Bronx Funeral Home Scandal (2015)

In 2015, several funeral directors and medical examiners in the Bronx were arrested and accused of participating in a bribery scheme. Funeral directors allegedly paid bribes to officials at the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office to steer bodies to their funeral homes. In exchange for the payments, the medical examiner’s office would facilitate the release of bodies before proper investigations were completed, often in violation of legal and ethical procedures. This scandal raised concerns about the integrity of the system for handling deceased individuals and led to multiple arrests and charges. 2. Detroit Medical Examiner Corruption (2016)

In 2016, a former assistant medical examiner in Detroit, Dr. L.J. Montague, was implicated in a bribery scheme involving the alteration of autopsy results. Dr. Montague had been involved in improperly handling body evidence and allegedly accepted bribes from funeral homes to provide favorable autopsy reports. In some cases, the reports were changed to cover up the real cause of death, potentially for financial gain or to protect individuals or institutions involved in the deaths. This case drew attention to issues of corruption within the Detroit Medical Examiner’s office. 3. The Pennsylvania “Body-Snatching” Scandal (2006)

In 2006, it was revealed that a Pennsylvania medical examiner, Dr. Cyril Wecht, had been under investigation for charges related to body snatching and bribery. Dr. Wecht, who was known for performing controversial autopsies, was accused of taking bribes and improperly storing bodies for the purpose of selling them for medical research. Wecht was accused of improperly obtaining and retaining bodies for personal gain, and of offering favorable autopsy reports in exchange for compensation. Although Wecht was ultimately acquitted of the charges, the case raised concerns about the potential for bribery and unethical behavior in medical examiner practices. 4. The “Plastic Coffin” Case in New York (2000s)

In the early 2000s, a New York medical examiner, Dr. Charles Hirsch, faced public scrutiny after it was revealed that his office was involved in a widespread bribery scheme linked to the sale of bodies for scientific research. Funeral directors were allegedly paying bribes to medical examiners in exchange for facilitating the release of bodies to be sold to research organizations or anatomical schools. The bodies were often not properly identified or studied for forensic purposes, leading to fears that the system was being exploited for profit. 5. The Georgia Medical Examiner Scandal (2017)

In 2017, Georgia’s former **State Medical Examiner, Dr. Kendrick Brown, faced allegations of corruption and unethical practices. Dr. Brown was suspected of accepting bribes from law enforcement officers and other figures involved in criminal cases, in exchange for altering the results of autopsies to influence investigations. While no formal charges were filed against Brown, the case raised serious questions about the role of medical examiners in criminal justice proceedings and highlighted potential vulnerabilities to corruption.

1. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Scandal (2014)

In 2014, Dr. Mark Fajardo, a prominent pathologist and deputy medical examiner at the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, was implicated in a scandal where he allegedly falsified autopsy reports. Dr. Fajardo was accused of accepting bribes from a wealthy individual to alter the cause of death in the case of an overdose. The bribery was suspected to have been linked to an attempt to cover up a drug overdose death and turn it into an accident or natural causes, making it easier for the family to collect on insurance. Dr. Fajardo was eventually investigated, but the full scope of the bribery was never completely revealed in public records. 2. The “Foul Play” Investigation in Arkansas (2012)

In 2012, Dr. Ronda Roebuck, a pathologist who worked as a deputy medical examiner in Arkansas, was involved in a case where her autopsy report was allegedly tampered with. The case involved the suspicious death of a woman, which Dr. Roebuck initially ruled a suicide. However, after the deceased’s family raised concerns and a private investigator brought attention to the possible foul play, it was suggested that Roebuck had altered her findings. The family believed that the death was a homicide and that the changes to the autopsy report were made to avoid further legal complications or investigations. Dr. Roebuck later faced scrutiny for her handling of multiple death investigations, and the Arkansas Medical Examiner’s Office faced pressure to overhaul its practices. 3. Corruption and Body-Handling Scandal in Georgia (2017)

In 2017, allegations of corruption surfaced involving the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Medical Examiner’s Office. Several medical examiners and other officials were suspected of receiving bribes from funeral homes or third-party organizations in exchange for allowing bodies to be released without proper investigation or certification. Funeral directors and medical institutions were believed to have offered financial incentives for the swift release of bodies, avoiding standard procedures such as autopsies in cases where foul play was suspected. This scandal highlighted gaps in accountability within state-run medical examiner systems and raised concerns about the potential for bribery and abuse. 4. The “Death Investigation” Corruption Case in Ohio (2015)

In 2015, it was reported that a Cuyahoga County, Ohio, medical examiner, Dr. Jan Gorniak, faced allegations of corruption and misconduct linked to her professional relationships with funeral homes. Several funeral directors were accused of paying bribes to medical examiner’s office staff to ensure that certain bodies were released without proper death investigations. The bribery was said to be financially motivated, with funeral homes attempting to quickly prepare bodies for burial without waiting for the completion of autopsy reports. Although investigations into the claims continued, Dr. Gorniak was forced to step down from her position as the head of the office amid mounting public pressure. 5. The “Body Broker” Scandal in Las Vegas (2009)

In 2009, Dr. Elizabeth K. Pavlik, a forensic pathologist working for the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Las Vegas, became the focus of a controversial case involving the illegal selling of bodies and body parts. Investigations revealed that several medical professionals, including Dr. Pavlik, had engaged in “body brokering” — the practice of selling body parts for profit. The scheme allegedly involved bribing medical examiners or coroners to release bodies to brokers, who would then illegally distribute body parts for research or commercial purposes. While Pavlik was not directly accused of taking bribes, the scandal brought national attention to potential corruption within the coroner’s office. She was investigated for unethical conduct, and the case shed light on the potential for fraud and bribery in medical examiner offices when financial incentives intersect with body handling. 6. The Alabama Medical Examiner’s Office Scandal (2011)

In Alabama, Dr. William A. “Bill” P. was suspected of taking bribes while working as a medical examiner in the early 2000s. Investigations into the office of the Montgomery County Medical Examiner found discrepancies in autopsy reports and irregularities in body handling. It was suspected that Dr. P. accepted bribes from various law enforcement officials and private individuals to alter cause-of-death reports in cases involving questionable deaths. There were even allegations that these altered reports were part of a larger conspiracy to cover up instances of police brutality. The case became a flashpoint for concerns over corruption in the state’s medical examiner system, but Dr. P. was never formally charged with bribery, though his actions raised serious ethical questions. 7. The “Organ Harvesting” Case in New York (2015)

A major corruption case involving a medical examiner in New York centered on illegal organ harvesting. In 2015, authorities uncovered a scheme where a medical examiner’s office worker in New York City was accused of taking bribes from an organ transplant ring. The worker allegedly provided access to bodies that were meant to be examined for forensic investigations, allowing the bodies to be sold for organ transplants. The medical examiner or coroner allegedly accepted bribes to help facilitate the sale of organs. The corruption was linked to a broader criminal syndicate involved in illegal organ trade and led to significant investigations into the role of medical professionals in such illegal practices. 8. The “Body Mishandling” Scandal in South Carolina (2004)

In South Carolina, Dr. Thomas O. Greene, a forensic pathologist, faced accusations of mishandling bodies and allegedly taking bribes from funeral home operators. The investigation started after a whistleblower reported that Dr. Greene had been

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Because people start asking questions. Bodies are exhumed for reasons.

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