Morgue workers convicted for stealing from deceased

PHILADELPHIA -- Four city morgue workers were convicted Friday of running a theft ring that stole more than $90,000 from the dead.

Employees in the Medical Examiner's Office were accused of swiping credit cards, cash, guns and identification from bodies and using the credit cards to buy televisions, computers and other merchandise.

A jury convicted Solomon Jones, 54, Paul Heyward, 43, Christopher Jackson, 37, and Gene Bazemore, 51.

The defendants face anywhere from 18 months to four years in prison. Sentencing was set for Jan. 24-25.

Six other morgue workers and six people who did not work for the medical examiner pleaded guilty in the scheme. One wore a hidden microphone to help police gather evidence.

In one theft, a wad of bills was taken from the shoe of a man who had been shot to death and set on fire. In another theft, a morgue worker used a body bag to drag $800 in nickels, dimes and pennies from a dead man's house.

The investigation began last year after family members told police they had received credit card bills from purchases made after their relatives had died.