LETHBRIDGE — The owners of a funeral home say they are flabbergasted by accusations that they overbilled families for cheap burial materials and cut off a deceased’s finger in order to remove a ring.
Ralph and Faith Zentner of Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge, are charged with fraud and offering an indignity to human remains.
They are to appear in a Lethbridge court in March.
“We have sought legal advice and vehemently deny these allegations,” Ralph Zentner said Wednesday. “We have difficulty in understanding the evidentiary basis for these charges and look forward to receipt of disclosure material.
“We don’t understand who would gain from these ludicrous allegations.”
He also said there’s no way the funeral home will shut down while the charges are being dealt with.
“We have current families that we are serving and will continue to serve and we have to carry forward. There’s no question. We are not closing the doors.”
Police say they received a complaint from the provincial board that regulates funeral services about alleged illegal activity dating back 15 years.
“It’s been in our hands for a number of years, but it’s taken some time for us to sort through the information (and do) extensive consultation with the Crown prosecutor’s office out of Edmonton, the special prosecutions branch,” said police Insp. Colin Catonio.
He said police gathered information from several witnesses, the Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board and the Crown. “All of that taken together allows us to (lay) the charges.”
Police say an investigation indicated the funeral home used cremation trays instead of more-expensive caskets but billed families for the more expensive item. It’s also alleged that in one case a rental casket was reused without the lining being replaced each time.
The offences are alleged to have occurred between 1996 and 2006. (CJOC)