Harvard Medical School's morgue manager is facing accusations that he sold stolen human body parts.
Besides the morgue manager, the authorities arrested a group of people facing federal charges over a scheme of selling human cadavers.
Harvard Morgue Manager Charged for Selling Stolen Body Parts
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 12: A student walks through Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on March 12, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The prestigious Harvard Medical School is reeling from a sinister scandal. As per a report by USA Today, its morgue manager is now facing charges over selling stolen human body parts and selling them online afterward.
The United States (US) Attorney Gerald Karam says, "It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing." However, the culprits allegedly took advantage of their bodies by selling them for profit. Karam slams the scheme as "appalling."
Investigators accused Harvard's morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, of stealing and selling these body parts. The 55-year-old faces charges in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The morgue manager, among others, is now facing conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods charges. According to the US Attorney's Office, these offenses, which allegedly occurred from 2018 to 2022, could lock them up in prison for a maximum of 15 years if convicted.
The 55-year-old allegedly stole human organs and other body parts, which include bones, head, skin, and brains, from school donations of cadavers supposedly used for the education of students and the advancement of medical research.
According to the BBC, Harvard medical students are using donated human bodies for their studies and practicing medical procedures. The indictment says that after the students have used them for educational purposes, the University cremates the cadavers and brings back the remains to their loved ones.
But instead of using the bodies for medical purposes, Federal prosecutors accused Lodge of transporting the stolen cadavers to his house in Goffstown in New Hampshire. The scheme takes a shocking twist as the prosecutors accused him and his wife, Denise Lodge, of selling them for profit.
The US Attorney's Office discloses that the morgue manager invited other people to check out the bodies they wanted to buy at the Harvard Medical School.
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Harvard Terminates Morgue Manager's Employment
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 08: A view of a gate to Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on July 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Harvard Medical School condemned the scheme in its recent statement, CBS News reports. It says that it was "morally reprehensible."
Harvard says that it terminated Lodge's employment last May 6. USA Today notes that he is no longer listed as a staff member on the school's website.
The Medical Education Dean Edward Hundert says, "We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus - a community dedicated to healing and serving others."
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