Illinois father, son accused of selling diseased body parts on black market
CHICAGO (WBBM/CNN) – An Illinois father and his son are facing federal charges after they allegedly sold body parts on the black market from people who thought they were donating to science.
Prosecutors said the father-son duo sold the remains knowing they were diseased, but never disclosed that to buyers. Some of the bodies — which had HIV, sepsis and hepatitis — reportedly sold for up to $100,000.
Donald Greene Sr. is charged with wire fraud. His son, Donald Greene II, is charged with knowing about the scheme but failing to report it. They were associated with the Biological Resource Center of Rosemont, Illinois, which provided the remains to medical professionals for a fee.
In one instance, a mother claims she was told her son’s tissue would be donated to colleges and research centers. Instead, his remains were sold for $5,000.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Detroit, which is handling the case, called it “a scheme to defraud customers of the Biological Resource Center of Illinois.”
WBBM reports that it’s not illegal to sell body parts, per se, but it is illegal to knowingly sell remains that are known to have infectious diseases.
The Greenes are accused of running the operation from 2008 to 2014.
A guilty plea is expected, according to the Associated Press. The names of lawyers representing the Greenes weren’t immediately known.