Jul 10, 2009 2:59 pm US/Central
Hynes Seeks To Revoke License Of Burr Oak Cemetery
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes talks with reporters about the challenges facing state government amid Gov. Rod Blagojevich's problems.
CBS
Calling the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal unconscionable, the state comptroller announced Friday he would move to revoke the owner's license.
It was the first we've heard from the head of the only government office that has any jurisdiction over cemeteries. And as Pam Zekman reports, he ducked some tough questions about his oversight.
"What we have learned over the last several days and what has transpired apparently over the last several years is probably the most horrific thing I've heard of," Hynes told reporters who gathered at his office.
Hynes said he had sent notice to revoke Burr Oak Cemetery's license because "the massive frauds that were perpetrated on consumers were intolerable."
Hynes confirmed that cemeteries fall into a regulatory black hole -- a problem he says he tried to fix with legislation proposed years ago
"One provision of that legislation would actually have created a standard of care for cemeteries," he said.
Also, there would have been a duty to maintain them. But Hynes says opposition by the cemetery industry killed the bill.
As a result, Hynes said his office can only audit cemetery care trust funds. Auditors were at Burr Oak at least eight times in the last four years. That's when employees were allegedly disinterring bodies and reselling graves.
"They have eyes, don't they?" Zekman asked of the auditors. "If they see something that looks wrong, shouldn't they be reporting it back to the office, and did they over the last four years?"
"We've had hundreds if not thousands of people visiting this cemetery with loved ones, and this has all gone undetected because of the way they were hiding their activities," Hynes said.
The revocation of the license could take months to finalize. Once it does, a receiver would be appointed to run the cemetery until a new owner hopefully takes over.
Meanwhile, CBS 2 has learned the state's attorney's office is planning to go to court on Monday to get a court order to stop the digging of new graves at the Cemetery.
That's because for the second time Friday morning, gravediggers found remains in a supposedly new gravesite.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Vizquel Agrees To $1,375,000 Deal With White Sox
Stumble It!
Reporting
