A mortuary worker from Los Angeles, California contrived a morbid scheme – that of faking her own death in order to defraud life insurance companies. She even went as far as to stage her own funeral, which included the cremation of a mannequin and cow parts which had been placed in the coffin.
Jean Crump, aged 67, from Los Angeles, could face a prison sentence of up to 90 years after a jury found her guilty of fraud, including one count of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud.
Woman Sought a $1.2 million Life Insurance Benefit
Crump, along with three accomplices went to painstaking lengths in her attempt to defraud a life insurance company and obtain payment on a policy worth more than 1.2 million dollars.
- First the woman obtained a fake death certificate
- Then, Crump purchased land for a burial plot
- Finally, she staged a funeral where an empty casket was buried
Foul play Suspected by Life Insurers
The life insurance company became suspicious of the claims and launched an investigation, so Crump took drastic measures. She had the coffin exhumed and filled with animal remains and a dummy before cremating the contents.
Fraud Included Obtaining Advance Funding for Bereaved Families
Crump has also been charged with obtaining money from a life insurance company to cover bereavement expenses, in order to cover the cost of the funeral (the life insurance company later takes a cut of the life insurance payout of the deceased life insurance policy holder). Crump is to be sentenced later this year – her accomplices have pleaded guilty as charged.
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photo credit: codepo8