Justice Served to “Phantom Funeral” Ring

The last defendant of a major life insurance fraud ring was found guilty last week for her participation in a bizarre scheme that defrauded life insurance companies out of over one million dollars.

According to the press release from The United States District Attorney’s Office, Jean Crump, 67, and three accomplices were involved in a scheme where they took out life insurance policies on non-existent individuals, killed them off on paper, and then held pretend funerals to close the deal.  When the heat was turned up by investigators, they came up with an unusual plan to cover up the crime.  Brilliant, or crazy?  You decide.

“Crump, who worked at the now-defunct Simpson and McGee Mortuary in Lynwood, participated in a scheme to defraud insurance companies by filing fraudulent claims against $1.2 million in life insurance policies for an individual who had not died as claimed. ”

“As part of the scheme, Crump and her accomplices caused bogus death certificates to be prepared, purchased a burial plot, buried an empty casket, and staged a phony funeral to lend credibility to the scheme. After two insurance companies began investigating the claims, Crump and her accomplices exhumed the casket, filled it with a mannequin and cow parts, and had the casket cremated.”

Crump and her co-conspirators not only defrauded insurance companies, but also scammed companies that advanced cash for funeral coverage in exchange for a portion of a decedent’s life insurance policy.  Crump was found guilty on two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud and her sentencing is scheduled to take place on November 29^th.  Collectively, both convictions carry a maximum sentence of 90 years in prison.