Ex-funeral director guilty of theft from clients

SIDNEY, Ohio (AP) -- A former funeral director was convicted Tuesday of stealing $200,000 from about 40 clients who paid for funerals ahead of time.
Mark Van Horn, 55, of Bellefontaine, pleaded guilty to forgery and attempted engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. Van Horn, who had operated funeral homes in Lakeview and Jackson Center, faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 28 in Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
Thomas Kerrigan, an assistant Shelby County prosecutor, said Van Horn pocketed some of his clients' payments instead of putting them in interest-bearing trust funds. When one of the clients died, Van Horn would then pay for the funeral out of his own pocket, but often at a lesser value than what was paid for, Kerrigan said.
He said Van Horn has repaid the money and that clients who have not yet had their funerals will be fully covered.