Former Harvard Medical School morgue manager pleads guilty to swiping, selling stolen body parts

A former Harvard Diagnostic School morgue manager of late entered a plea in relation to an alleged scheme to steal and sell donated body parts Cedric Lodge of Goffstown New Hampshire pleaded guilty to interstate movement of stolen human remains on Wednesday before Chief U S District Judge Matthew W Brann according to a news release from the U S Attorney s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania The maximum penalty under federal law is years in prison a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the federal sentencing guidelines according to the release CT POLICE QUASH NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER RUMORS ARREST MAN AFTER WOMAN ASCERTAINED DISMEMBERED IN SUITCASEOfficials announced Lodge admitted that from through at least March he participated in the sale and interstate movement of human remains stolen from the Harvard Health School morgue in Massachusetts Lodge then-manager of the Harvard Health School morgue removed human remains including organs brains skin hands faces dissected heads and other parts from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school according to the release He took the remains to his home in New Hampshire without the permission or knowledge of his employer the donors or donors' families AUSTIN MORTUARY EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY EXPERIMENTING ON CORPSESAfter he and his wife sold the remains they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transfer the remains themselves according to the release Remains stolen and sold by Lodge for a profit were sent to locations in Massachusetts New Hampshire and Pennsylvania Cedric Lodge s criminal actions were morally reprehensible and a disgraceful betrayal of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to Harvard Anatomical School s Anatomical Gift Activity to advance anatomical development and research Harvard Health School Dean George Daley wrote in a declaration to Fox News Digital MISSISSIPPI MORTICIAN ALLEGEDLY STASHED BODIES INSIDE STORAGE UNIT AFTER LOSING LICENSE BUSINESS AUTHORITIES While Lodge has agreed to plead guilty and taken responsibility for his crimes this likely provides little consolation to the families impacted Daley added We continue to express our deep compassion to all those affected Several defendants charged in related cases pleaded guilty receiving sentences of about a year in prison Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing The occurrence was investigated by the FBI the U S Postal Inspection Utility and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department in Pennsylvania Harvard University did not directly respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment