Massachusetts Woman Receives 24-Month Prison Sentence for Trafficking Stolen Human Remains

A Massachusetts woman has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to traffic stolen human remains, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Katrina Maclean, 47, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, admitted to participating in a nationwide network that bought and sold human remains, some of which were taken from Harvard Medical School. The sentence was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann on August 18, 2026.

The investigation revealed a broader scheme involving individuals who facilitated the illicit trade of human body parts. For a period spanning from 2018 to 2022, Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, unlawfully removed organs and other parts from cadavers donated for medical research and education. These stolen remains were then transported to Lodge’s residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, engaged in sales with individuals including Katrina Maclean and Joshua Taylor. Communication and transactions were often conducted via cell phone and social media platforms. In some instances, Maclean and Taylor were permitted to access the Harvard Medical School morgue to examine cadavers. Joshua Taylor also played a role in transporting stolen remains, including to Pennsylvania.

The illicit sales extended to other individuals, with Maclean and Taylor profiting from the trafficking of these stolen remains. One such recipient identified in the Middle District of Pennsylvania was Jeremy Pauley. Further investigation uncovered that Jeremy Pauley also acquired stolen human remains from Candace Chapman Scott, an employee at a mortuary and crematorium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Scott admitted to stealing parts of cadavers from her employer, including those intended for research and educational use by a local medical school, as well as the bodies of two stillborn infants slated for cremation and return to their families. Scott subsequently sold these stolen remains to Pauley and shipped them to him.

This case is part of a larger investigation that has resulted in multiple convictions and prison sentences for those involved. Seven other defendants have previously pleaded guilty and received sentences in connection with related offenses. These include Joshua Taylor, who was sentenced to 24 months; Andrew Ensanian, sentenced to 6 months; Matthew Lampi, sentenced to 15 months; Angelo Pereyra, sentenced to 18 months; and Cedric and Denise Lodge, who received sentences of 96 months and 12 months, respectively. Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium, received a significant sentence of 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in Arkansas federal court.

The investigation into this complex trafficking network was a collaborative effort involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the East Pennsboro Township Police Department, and the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

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