Plea Looms in Body Parts Scheme ; Alleged Mastermind Will Aid Inquiry

Jan 16, 01:26 PM

NEW YORK The owner of a Fort Lee tissue recovery firm has agreed to plead guilty to charges he orchestrated a grisly plot to plunder corpses and sell body parts for transplants, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The plea marks a significant development in a case that broke two years ago with the shocking accusations that Michael Mastromarino was making millions by covertly carving up hundreds of corpses at a Brooklyn funeral home and selling the parts for dental implants, hip replacements and other procedures nationwide.

Mastromarino "was facing a daunting battle and he sees this as his best opportunity to accept responsibility and move on," said the attorney, Mario Gallucci.

The cadavers were looted without permission or proper screening for diseases, and an untold number of patients were unknowingly exposed to infection, prosecutors said. Among the bodies was that of "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke, who died in 2004.

The 44-year-old Mastromarino, a Brooklyn mortician and two so- called "cutters" were charged in 2006 with enterprise corruption, body stealing, opening graves, unlawful dissection and forgery. Since then, seven funeral directors have pleaded guilty to undisclosed charges and agreed to cooperate, as has one of the cutters.

Mastromarino, who remains behind bars, had been expected to go to trial in Brooklyn as early as next month. His lawyer said instead he will enter the guilty plea on Jan. 22, and face 18 to 54 years in prison. A former dentist, he was owner of Biomedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee.

As part of the deal, Mastromarino would cooperate with an inquiry by federal and state investigators into possible misconduct by tissue processors that purchased the stolen parts, his lawyer said.

The processors "loved his tissue and encouraged him to get more and more," he said.

Gallucci said his client expects to plead guilty in Philadelphia as well and hopes to serve any sentences concurrently.

Brooklyn prosecutors had no immediate comment; their Philadelphia counterparts did not immediately respond to a phone message.

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What's next

Michael Mastromarino, accused of stealing body parts from corpses and selling them for transplants, will plead guilty Jan. 22, according to his lawyer. The owner of Biomedical Tissue Services in Fort Lee faces 18 to 54 years in prison.

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(c) 2008 Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Plea Looms in Body Parts Scheme ; Alleged Mastermind Will Aid Inquiry
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