Two former employees of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City are facing federal charges for allegedly stealing credit and debit cards from dead bodies and using them for gas, airfare and food.
Charles McFadgen and Willie Garcon, both former mortuary technicians, allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the recently deceased on their cards, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say.
And they may not be the only ones - authorities are still investigating, and the city's Department of Investigation is urging people to come forward and report any suspicious activity on dead relatives' cards.
Authorities allege McFadgen made more than $13,500 in purchases on cards belonging to the dead in the OCME's care. They say that McFadgen, 66, of the Bronx, has admitted to investigators that he made the purchases both during and after his time at the medical examiner's office.
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He allegedly told investigators his colleagues had given him as many as 11 credit cards during his 13 years with the OCME, and after his retirement as well. Prosecutors say he made dozens of purchases with the pilfered cards at a pharmacy, with a rewards account in his name.
The feds also allege that Garcon, 50, of Brooklyn, who worked at the OCME from 2018 through last summer, made almost $6,500 in purchases on cards from the deceased in the office's custody.
Prosecutors say Garcon was arrested in New Jersey in May 2020 with the property of four people who had passed through the office. Investigators found cards in his possession that were used after their owners' deaths for charges including parking tickets, gas, tolls, air conditioning installation, and airfare from New Jersey to Florida.
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Both men appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon, where they were released on bond with travel restrictions. Each faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
