Two individuals have been handed down federal prison sentences, with one convicted for participating in the trafficking of stolen human remains and the other found guilty of stealing and selling human remains.
Matthew Lamoi, a 50-year-old resident of Minnesota, has been handed a 15-month prison sentence for the interstate transportation of human remains. The United States Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has confirmed this. Lamoi had previously pleaded guilty to a felony indictment, acknowledging that he bought and transported stolen human remains.
Lampi and Pauley had a long history of buying and selling from each other, with online payments totaling over $100,000. Lampi, in addition to serving a 15-month prison sentence, was also required to pay a $2,000 fine and $1,700 in restitution to the mother of the stillborn child. Pauley and Chapman Scott, who have both pleaded guilty to their federal charges, are currently awaiting sentencing.
Candace Chapman Scott stole pieces of cadavers that were intended to be cremated, many of which had been donated to a nearby medical school for research. According to court filings, Scott stole and sold the stillborn remains and transported them to Pauley.
Lampi and Pauley had been buying and selling for a long time, exchanging more than $100,000 in internet payments. The court sentenced Lampi to 15 months in prison, a $2,000 fine, and $1,700 in reparations to the mother of the stillborn. Pauley and Chapman Scott are both awaiting their sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges.
Angelo Pereyra, 39, from Kansas, received a sentence of 18 months in prison for interstate transit of stolen human remains and body parts. Pereyra had already pled guilty to criminal information, confessing that he took human remains and body parts from 2018 to 2022.
Pereyra said he stole the remains and pieces from a Kansas hospital where he worked as a pathology assistant. He then sold the stolen remains.
Pereyra was known for pilfering the following organs or organ parts:
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- Human hearts
- Brains
- Spleen
- Testicle
- Intestine
- Livers
- Amputated feet and toes
While some stolen specimens came from deceased patients, the court recognized that others originated from living patients. Pereyra was also discovered to have stolen the remains of miscarried and stillborn fetuses before they could be properly buried.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted investigations on both cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is responsible for prosecuting the case.