Man sentenced to nearly 12 years for running an unlicensed funeral parlor

A man who was found guilty of running unlicensed funeral homes across the state of Ohio, including in Franklin County, was sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

According to a press release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, on Aug. 26, Shawnte Hardin, a minister, was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison.

On Aug. 5 he was found guilty of 31 charges in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. The charges included engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, tampering with records, telecommunications fraud, operating an unlicensed funeral home, possessing criminal tools, abuse of a corpse, representation of a funeral director while unlicensed, passing bad checks, theft and failure to file taxes.

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Earlier this year, 80 cremated remains were found inside an Akron church. According to the press release, many were identified and returned to family members, but some have yet to be claimed.

“Real pastors pray at funerals, not prey on grieving families,” said Ohio Attorney General James Yost in a release. “The defendant’s lies, fraud and complex scheme – including literally driving bodies across the state – are thankfully ended by today’s sentence.”

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