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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| US body snatch mastermind jailed | US body snatch mastermind jailed |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| The US dentist who masterminded thefts from hundreds of human corpses from funeral homes will serve between 18 and 54 years in jail, a judge has ruled. | The US dentist who masterminded thefts from hundreds of human corpses from funeral homes will serve between 18 and 54 years in jail, a judge has ruled. |
| Michael Mastromarino's ring stole parts from more than 1,000 bodies, including that of BBC presenter Alistair Cooke. | Michael Mastromarino's ring stole parts from more than 1,000 bodies, including that of BBC presenter Alistair Cooke. |
| The group then sold the parts to doctors who transplanted them into patients in a scam worth $4.6m (£2.3m). | The group then sold the parts to doctors who transplanted them into patients in a scam worth $4.6m (£2.3m). |
| Mastromarino, 44, had pleaded guilty to body stealing, reckless endangerment and enterprise corruption in March. | Mastromarino, 44, had pleaded guilty to body stealing, reckless endangerment and enterprise corruption in March. |
| The organs, extracted from bodies which had not been medically screened, were stolen from funeral homes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania between 2001 and 2005. | The organs, extracted from bodies which had not been medically screened, were stolen from funeral homes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania between 2001 and 2005. |
| They were sold around the country for 10,000 surgical procedures including knee and hip replacements, as well as dental implants. | They were sold around the country for 10,000 surgical procedures including knee and hip replacements, as well as dental implants. |
| 'May God have mercy' | 'May God have mercy' |
| Speaking in court earlier this month Mastromarino, who ran the company Biomedical Tissue Services, had apologised to relatives of the dead for the pain he caused them. | Speaking in court earlier this month Mastromarino, who ran the company Biomedical Tissue Services, had apologised to relatives of the dead for the pain he caused them. |
| "I am truly sorry for the pain that I have caused," he said. "May God have mercy on my soul." | "I am truly sorry for the pain that I have caused," he said. "May God have mercy on my soul." |
| Friday's sentence was passed in New York State's supreme court in Brooklyn. | Friday's sentence was passed in New York State's supreme court in Brooklyn. |
| One of Mastromarino's co-defendants has been convicted in the case, another has pleaded guilty and a third is awaiting trial. | One of Mastromarino's co-defendants has been convicted in the case, another has pleaded guilty and a third is awaiting trial. |