A mortuary transport company owner is charged with theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card after allegedly stealing the credit card of a deceased man and spending nearly $15,000, Memphis police said Wednesday.
The daughter of the deceased man contacted the police in March after discovering charges of $13,250 on her dead father’s credit cards, WREG reported.
Investigators contacted the funeral home who told them that they used a third-party contractor, 1st Call Mortuary Transport, to transport the bodies, the outlet reported. Police also searched the dead man’s front pockets where he typically kept his wallet but found nothing there, WREG reported. The owner of the third-party company, Brian Anthony Freeman, was the one police charged with the illicit acts, Yahoo! News reported. (RELATED: Firefighter Allegedly Stole Dead Man’s Credit Card During EMS Call Before Spending Spree)
While the police report describes Freeman as the owner of Bluff City Mortuary, the business told FOX13 that Freeman just delivered bodies for them. One $1,600 charge on the card was paid to a sign company and marked as a down payment for Bluff City.
STEALING FROM THE DEAD: Brian Anthony Freeman, owner of 1st Call Mortuary, is suspected of stealing about $15,000 from a dead man’s pockets, records show. https://t.co/8dI7vnZoku
— FOX13 Memphis (@FOX13Memphis) September 20, 2023
Freeman told the outlet he maintains his innocence and claimed to have evidence that would exonerate him. His court date is set for October.