Bodysnatcher Admits Guilt

by Jarrett Martineau | March 18, 2008 at 09:12 am

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The international black market for illegal organs and transplants is a frightening, disturbing, and almost sci-fi-esque aspect of our contemporary world, especially when the bodysnatching extends to celebrity broadcasters...it's like watching a P.K. Dick novel play out in reality.

The head of a US body-snatching ring accused of stealing the parts of around 1,000 people has pleaded guilty, after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Medical supplies boss Michael Mastromarino made millions from removing body parts from corpses and selling them for transplant illegally.

One of the bodies plundered was that of famous BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke.

Thousands of people received body part transplants supplied by Mastromarino's Biomedical Tissue Services.

The 44-year-old former oral surgeon pleaded guilty to one count of enterprise corruption, nine counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree, and four counts of body stealing.

He said he forged documents, did not obtain consent from relatives, did not check for infectious diseases and forged documents to cover up his operations.

He will be sentenced to between 18 and 54 years in jail in May.