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    Alberta funeral home co-owner guilty of fraud

    CBC – Thu, 19 Jan, 2012

    The co-owner of a Lethbridge, Alta., funeral home pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of fraud for overcharging about 50 clients for caskets and containers for cremation services.

    Ralph Zentner and his wife Faith, who own the Cornerstone Funeral Home, originally both faced nine charges in total, including committing an indignity to a body for allegedly cutting the finger off a body to remove a ring. The other charges were all dropped after Zentner pleaded guilty to fraud. All charges against his wife were dropped.

    Between July 2000 and December 2010, the funeral home charged some clients for caskets and containers then switched them for less expensive trays before cremation, sometimes without the family of the deceased knowing.

    Gordon Krinke, the provincial court judge hearing the case in Lethbridge, said he needs more time to consider the sentence and adjourned court until February to set a date for sentencing.

    Crown prosecutor James Pickard said in sentencing arguments that Zentner should be jailed for nine to 12 months for defrauding his funeral home clients, adding the crimes were an "egregious breach of trust" and Zentner took advantage of "people who were at their most vulnerable, people who were grieving, and looking to someone for help."

    The prosecutor also said some of the victims were people who received social services, including assured income for the severely handicapped (AISH) — a support for physically and mentally disabled Albertans. Those in the care of the province get funding for funerals from the Alberta government.

    From January 2000 to December 2005, some clients of social services or AISH were not cremated in the No. 2 Imperial Casket that the provincial government was billed for, but instead the funeral home used less expensive trays.

    Defence lawyer Balfour Der is asking for a discharge so Zentner can run his funeral home business without a criminal record.

    The Zentners had previously called the allegations "ludicrous." Ralph Zentner said in a statement that he chose to take responsibility for the fraud charge, and change the funeral home's practices, but said the other allegations were false.

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    76 comments

    • S,
      S,  •  3 months ago
      taking a ring from dead is like saying a spirit will beat you up. how low down can you get to cut a finger off a disabled woman. rest in peace,
    • Barnacle Bill
      Barnacle Bill  •  3 months ago
      They should make a standard cardboard box and charge the same fee to all.
      • Gerry
        Gerry 3 months ago
        A cardboard box is currently available.
    • lilac
      lilac  •  Toronto, Ontario  •  3 months ago
      even death people get frauded
    • don
      don  •  Burnaby, British Columbia  •  3 months ago
      Hey why do you need a casket? just put then on a tray you burn them anyway. To me it's nuts to burn a good casket. why not have it like rent a car use it and return.
      • CORRINA B
        CORRINA B 3 months ago
        don,here in new brunswick if a person is cremated,unless you specifically buy the casket,it is rented to you,,for the duration of the viewing,and the church service and what not ..then you are carted away in the casket to the crematorium,,where you are placed on a wooden tray,,cremated,placed in the urn and the casket is then returned to the funeral home..
      • A Yahoo! User 3 months ago
        I agree that burning a casket is a waste but it's still fraud if they didn't follow through on what was paid for. Some places will even put you in a cardboard box before lighting you off, but that's a prearranged agreement.

        And yes, they do have rental caskets (AKA viewing caskets)...
      • A Yahoo! User 3 months ago
        I've read that the most cost efficient/environmental friendliest option is to dissolve the corpse in a liquid solution. Apparently what's left is non-toxic and can be legally poured down the drain...
    • grandadr
      grandadr  •  Kaslo, British Columbia  •  3 months ago
      why should they be able to keep the funeral home ? they should have to sell it and never be aloud to operate one again
      • Mahon Mac
        Mahon Mac 3 months ago
        That's right, they shouldn't be ALLOWED to operate again! ("Aloud" means "out loud.")
      • Bob
        Bob 3 months ago
        And their sleazy lawyer wants all charges dropped so they can carry on business as ususal without a criminal record? Only in Canada. EH? Great country if you are a crook.
      • reddog
        reddog 3 months ago
        Boycot them!
    • Mac Dope
      Mac Dope  •  3 months ago
      The couple, hubby & wifie, sure ran the business like mobsters.
    • fordzz1
      fordzz1  •  Edmonton, Alberta  •  3 months ago
      9 to 12 months???. Judge think of your Mother having her finger chopped off for her ring... and being thrown on a slab for creamation or from a coffen you bought to a paper box. Think of all the familys affected. This person should get the book thrown at him or her. (Just Crazy)
    • Meds
      Meds  •  3 months ago
      Defrauding grieving folk.
      Can't get much lower.
      As bad as faking cancer
      for the $$$ donations.
    • frieghter
      frieghter  •  3 months ago
      What we don't pay these thieves enough for over priced funerals now. Its typical of these type of people you give them trust and they explote it. The time has come to go back to the old way and let they're familys do the burials.
      • albertalivin
        albertalivin 3 months ago
        typical of what people jerkoff? my girlfriend is a funeral director and i know many more directors and all are very honest hard working people, what do you do for a living? any crooks in your line of work? you read one story of abuse and every one in that line of work automatically is a crook? is a family member gonna go and scape some one off the highway after a car accident? how about preform the embalming, family gonna do that? make sure all the paper work is done so the family recieves maximum dollars from the government? grab a clue before you shoot your yap off moron.
    • Kaur1
      Kaur1  •  3 months ago
      OMG, nothing is safe anymore. Make sure you tell them you will be opening the casket at the burial site to add personal items and you better go to the crematorium and watch the casket go into the fire....I did that at my fathers cremation. I pressed the button and the casket went into the fire. Then I lost it, but I knew he was cremated in the case we paid for. That way, they will think twice about anything dishonest.
    • clydel
      clydel  •  Burlington, Ontario  •  3 months ago
      1. the funeral home should be shut down, permanently.. 2. Both the husband and wife should be charged. they both knew what was going on. 3..9-12 months is very wrong..it should be more like 5-10 years..This is disgraceful to treat people that are mourning the loss of a loved one..They also should have to return any money that was overpaid, plus interest..The Courts should set an example of this couple, so that others don't try to scam people in the same way
    • Be Good, Be Better
      Be Good, Be Better  •  Edmonton, Alberta  •  3 months ago
      And soon will come a verdict from Canada's ridiculous justice system - likely satisfying his lawyer who wants it discharged so the cretin can run his funeral business without a criminal record?!!? He IS a criminal for crying out loud, he shouldn't be allowed in the funeral business any further since it's his area of criminal preference no? Shut him down.Despicable couple, both of them - there are a few lower on the #$%$ rungs, but not many.
    • Elia
      Elia  •  Montreal, Quebec  •  3 months ago
      Wow...it's stories like these that prove how low & disgusting people can actually be. It's such a shame. We are capable of doing so much good in the world, yet there are still jerks like this who lower human standards everyday. Well, thankfully I believe in karma....
    • Cuddlyclaud
      Cuddlyclaud  •  Memphis, United States  •  3 months ago
      YOU NEVER KNOW DO YOU? DAMN RIGHT THY SHOULD BE CHARGED N REFUND THSE PEOPLES N GIVE THE RING BCK
    • spiffer1
      spiffer1  •  Kingston, Ontario  •  3 months ago
      There should be more news from the Association which governs funeral homes and funeral directors regarding this, as well.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Gatineau, Quebec  •  3 months ago
      This business should be closed by the Alberta government.
    • planetclaire7
      planetclaire7  •  Burlington, Ontario  •  3 months ago
      What a PIECE OF GARBAGE this individual is!
      Jail this guy and throw away the key....
      How dare anyone take advantage of someone who is in a position of burying a loved one and they have to put up with crooks like this is totally appalling....
    • enteng
      enteng  •  Calgary, Alberta  •  3 months ago
      if they still operate somethings wrong with the law. shut them off permanently.yeah, really low life.
    • enteng
      enteng  •  Calgary, Alberta  •  3 months ago
      cancell his licence, period & let him do the time.
    • arropi
      arropi  •  Toronto, Ontario  •  3 months ago
      Maybe the defence lawyer[ who wants make sure the creep doesn't have a criminal record ] would like to have any of his family who might die cared for by this zombie. [Don't leave any jewelry on them bud. ]
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