Funeral home accused in Arlington probe fined $50,000

Spokesperson says paying the money is not an admission of guilt

Published June 17, 2010 12:03AM (EDT)

A Virginia funeral home accused of mishandling bodies awaiting burial at Arlington National Cemetery has been fined $50,000.

The Virginia Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers and National Funeral Home signed a consent order Monday. National agreed to the fine, two years probation and a half-dozen unannounced inspections per year.

A spokeswoman for Service Corporation International, the funeral home's parent company, says the agreement is not an admission of guilt. She says it's a way to settle the issue.

A former employee had accused the Falls Church funeral home of storing bodies in hallways and on unrefrigerated storage racks in a garage. Funeral home officials acknowledged they stored bodies in the garage, but never for long.


By Associated Press

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