Latest news with #DeniseLodge
Mint
25-05-2025
- Mint
‘Head number 7, braiiins': Chilling PayPal memos of ex-Harvard worker, wife who sold human organs
In a case as macabre as it is surreal, a former manager at the Harvard Medical School morgue has pleaded guilty to trafficking stolen human remains including dissected heads, brains, faces, and skin, and selling them on the black market. Alongside the man, Cedric Lodge, his wife Denise Lodge, was also involved, who received $37,355.16 (nearly ₹ 32 lakh) over three years. Payments were made via PayPal and had memos such as "head number 7" and 'braiiiiiiins," as per the federal indictment obtained by People Magazine. Cedric Lodge, 57, admitted on May 21 in a federal court in Pennsylvania to interstate transport of stolen human remains taken from cadavers donated to Harvard for medical research and education. Between 2018 and March 2020, Lodge used his privileged access to the school's morgue to harvest body parts from corpses that had already been dissected, and used for academic purposes, but had yet to be disposed of. The ex-Harvard worker took them to his home and, along with his wife, sold them to people in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said. The transactions totalled to tens of thousands of dollars, ABC News reported, citing the indictment. Prosecutors say Cedric Lodge ferried the stolen remains from Harvard's morgue in Boston to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He and his wife, Denise Lodge, then sold the body parts to buyers across state lines, sometimes shipping them directly and at other times allowing the buyers to pick them up in person. Their network stretched across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. On one occasion, Denise Lodge supplied a Massachusetts woman with human skin, knowing she intended to tan it. He even met her at the morgue to hand over 'two dissected faces,' revealed the indictment, state multiple reports. Lodge now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, plus fines and a supervised release. His sentencing will be determined by Chief US District Judge Matthew W Brann. Lodge's wife, Denise Lodge, pleaded guilty last year and is waiting for her sentence. The story has horrified Harvard officials and the public alike. "We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus, a community dedicated to healing and serving others," Harvard Medical School deans George Daley and Edward Hundert said in a statement.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
Heads, brains, skin, hands, faces, organs: Ex-Harvard employee stole body parts and sold them in black market
Cedric Lodge, former Harvard employee A former Harvard employee pleaded guilty to human trafficking involving the transportation of stolen human remains, US attorney's office for the middle district of Pennsylvania announced. Cedric Lodge, 57, from Goffstown, New Hampshire acknowledged his involvement in selling and transporting stolen human remains from Harvard Medical School morgue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 2018 through March 2020. Lodge, who was then employed as the manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue, removed various body parts from donated cadavers, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts after their use in research but before proper disposal as per donor agreements. Without authorisation from his employer, donors or their families, Lodge transported these remains to his New Hampshire residence. He and his wife Denise Lodge then sold and shipped these remains to buyers across states, with transportation routes including Salem, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, Justice department said in a statement. Lodge confirmed selling remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, amongst others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40대 이상이고 PC가 있으세요? 그럼 이 게임을 정말 좋아하실 거예요! Sea of Conquest 플레이하기 Undo These remains were often resold at higher prices, including to Jeremy Pauley, who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains. Related cases have seen guilty pleas from multiple defendants, including Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi and Angelo Pereyra. Lampi received a 15-month prison sentence, while Pereyra got 18 months. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor await sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, received a 15-year prison sentence in Arkansas federal court. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service and East Pennsboro Township Police Department conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin prosecuting. Under federal law, this offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, supervised release following imprisonment and a fine. The Judge determines the sentence after considering federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
NDTV
25-05-2025
- NDTV
Ex-Harvard Worker Stole Human Heads, Skin. Then Sold It In Black Market
A former manager at the Harvard Medical School morgue has pleaded guilty to stealing dissected human heads, brains, skin, hands, faces, organs - and selling them on the black market. Cedric Lodge, 57, admitted on May 21 in a federal court in Pennsylvania to interstate transport of stolen human remains taken from cadavers donated to Harvard for medical research and education. From 2018 through at least March 2020, Lodge exploited his access to the morgue to remove body parts from cadavers that had already been used for academic purposes but had not yet been cremated, buried, or returned per the donor agreements. These remains, donated altruistically to the Harvard Anatomical Gift Programme, were taken without the knowledge or permission of Harvard, the donors, or their families. According to prosecutors, Lodge would transport the stolen remains from the morgue in Boston to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He and his wife, Denise Lodge, then sold the body parts to buyers across state lines, sometimes shipping them directly and at other times allowing the buyers to pick them up in person. The trafficking network stretched across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. One man in Pennsylvania paid Denise Lodge $37,355.16 (nearly Rs 32 lakh) over three years, according to the federal indictment obtained by People Magazine. Payments were made via PayPal and had memos such as "head number 7" and "braiiiiiiins." The indictment also says that Lodge supplied a woman in Massachusetts with human skin, knowing she intended to have it tanned. On at least one occasion, he met her at the morgue and provided "two dissected faces." "We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus, a community dedicated to healing and serving others," said George Daley, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and Edward Hundert, Dean for Medical Education, in a joint statement last year. Cedric Lodge now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a period of supervised release, and a fine. Sentencing will be determined by Chief US District Judge Matthew W Brann based on federal statutes and guidelines. Lodge's wife, Denise Lodge, pleaded guilty last year and is waiting for her sentence. Several others have also been charged or pleaded guilty in the case. Lodge admitted to selling human remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian. Some buyers, like Jeremy Pauley, later sold the remains to others for profit. Joshua Taylor also pleaded guilty and is yet to be sentenced. Andrew Ensanian admitted guilt. Matthew Lampi was given 15 months in prison, and Angelo Pereyra was sentenced to 18 months. Another accused, Katrina MacLean, who is said to have bought remains from Lodge, has denied the charges and has not yet entered a plea.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Goffstown man pleads guilty in Harvard Medical School body parts case
A Goffstown man accused of trafficking human body parts out of Harvard Medical School's morgue has plead guilty for his role in the gruesome nationwide scheme. Cedric Lodge, 57, pleaded guilty during a change of plea hearing Wednesday in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, according to his plea agreement. Lodge, the former manager of Harvard Medical School's morgue, was arrested two years ago in connection to a scheme where people bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard and a mortuary in Arkansas. Investigators accused Lodge of letting buyers come into the morgue to pick out body parts they wanted to buy. He would allegedly steal parts including brains, skin and bones from donated cadavers before their scheduled cremation, bring them to his home and ship them to buyers through the U.S. Postal Service. The scheme allegedly operated from 2018 through 2022, according to court documents. A brief filed in March indicated lawyers for Lodge were attempting to have the charges against him tossed out. Lodge's lawyers had argued the charges don't hold up because human body parts are not legally considered property and can't be assigned a market value. Lodge worked in the morgue as part of the Anatomical Gift Program until Harvard Medical School terminated his employment on May 6, 2024. According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a nationwide network of people bought and sold human remains stolen from the morgue and the Arkansas mortuary. Court documents show Harvard Medical School employees are not allowed to 'remove, keep, or sell any human remains, in whole or in part, belonging to a donated cadaver.' Prosecutors claim in court paperwork that Lodge transported the stolen body parts from Boston to his home in Goffstown and made sales arrangements via cellphone and social media. In October 2020, a customer purchased two 'dissected human faces' for $600 from Lodge, the indictment alleges. Another sent Denise Lodge, Lodge's wife, a check for $1,000 with the memo line 'Head number 7,' documents state. In November 2020, a customer sent another $200 check with the memo line 'braiiiiiins.' Court documents allege Denise Lodge shipped packages of human remains from a post office in Manchester. Lodge's plea comes a year after Denise Lodge agreed to a plea deal of her own on a federal charge of interstate transport of stolen goods. Denise Lodge's attorney said in February 2024 that her client's husband 'was doing this and she just kind of went along with it,' adding 'what happened here is wrong' and 'more of a moral and ethical dilemma … than a criminal case.' Cedric Lodge admitted to having sold remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, among others. Many of the remains purchased from Lodge were resold for a profit, including to Jeremy Pauley, who previously entered a guilty plea to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains. Several other defendants have previously entered guilty pleas in related cases, including Lodge's wife, Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi, and Angelo Pereyra. Lampi was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Pereyra was sentenced to 18 months. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium where she was employed and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Former Harvard morgue manager pleads guilty to selling stolen body parts across state lines
Cedric and Denise Lodge were indicted in New Hampshire in 2023 for selling body parts across the country for at least five years before they were both arrested, records show. The couple used Cedric Lodge's position at the Harvard morgue to divert organs and cadaver parts that had been donated to the Anatomical Gift Program and were supposed to be cremated and instead selling them to people in other states, according to court records and Prosecutors alleged that Cedric Lodge removed organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts from the cadavers after they were used as for teaching and research purposes. He and Denise Lodge then sold the remains and shipped or personally delivered them to buyers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said. Advertisement In 2023, the couple had two Subarus with vanity plates. One read 'DKSHDWS,' in homage to the gothic-horror show from the 1960s, and t In addition to the Lodges, several others have also pleaded guilty in cases related to the Harvard morgue scandal. Advertisement A Pennsylvania man, Joshua Taylor, pleaded guilty last week to a charge of interstate transport of stolen remains. Prosecutors said Taylor made 39 online payments to an account controlled by Denise Lodge. The payments, which totaled $37,000, sometimes had memos like 'head number 7″ and $200 for 'braiiiiiins,' according to court records. Denise Lodge and Taylor are still awaiting sentencing, prosecutors said in a statement Thursday. Many of the remains were resold at a profit, prosecutors said, including to Jeremy Pauley, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and transporting human remains across state lines. Candace Chapman-Scott, a former mortuary worker in Arkansas who was accused of selling body parts to Pauley, also pleaded guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said. A sentencing hearing for Lodge had not been scheduled in court records as of Thursday. Lodge's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. Nick Stoico can be reached at
