A Kansas man has been sentenced to 69 months in prison for engaging in a wire fraud scheme, netting him over $1 million from unsuspecting clients.
Shawn Lynn Parcells, 42, of Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in May 2022. According to court documents, in July 2016, Parcells, as owner of National Autopsy Services LLC, convinced a client he was qualified to conduct an autopsy based on false credentials.
The client paid Parcells $5,000 and received an emailed copy of a final report, which included an opinion made within a certain degree of medical certainty as a Forensic, Neuro, and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Fellow. However, no pathologist participated in this examination or report.
Between May 2016 and May 2019, Parcells used National Autopsy Services to obtain fees from more than 350 clients for a total amount of $1,166,000. In many cases, the defendant failed to provide an authentic completed report.
‘It’s troubling whenever criminals deceptively present themselves as professionals to commit fraud on unwitting victims, but the fact that Parcells’ schemes were predicated upon exploiting the grief and bereavement of others, makes his act a particularly predatory crime,’ said U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard.
‘During their most vulnerable state, Mr. Parcells willfully defrauded individuals while they were grieving the loss of a loved one. He used deception as a means to prey on those looking to find answers surrounding the death of their loved ones by claiming to be a pathologist and being able to provide those answers,’ said FBI Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub.
The FBI and the Office of the Kansas Attorney General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney prosecuted the case.
Key Facts
- State: Kansas
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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