Ohio funeral home owner pleads guilty to theft
8/8/2014DAYTON, Ohio — The co-owner of a now-shuttered Dayton funeral home has pleaded guilty to 36 charges of theft from an elderly or disabled person, tampering with records and violating contracts.
The Montgomery County prosecutor said Friday that 46-year-old Michelle Gavin entered the pleas as part of a plea agreement. In exchange, prosecutors dropped 15 other charges.
Gavin agreed to serve four years in prison and will be sentenced on Sept. 10.
Gavin’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call for comment Friday.
Gavin owned and operated the Magetti-Gavin Funeral Home with her husband. The prosecutor says more than $200,000 Gavin accepted for pre-paid funeral arrangements from more than 60 people is gone.
The law required her to deposit and keep money from those payments in a trust or a life insurance policy.