OUTRAGE-National Funeral Directors Assoc.| Ponzi Scam Man (Earl) to Testify before Congress-YourFuneralGuy

It is being reported that one of the Leaders involved  in the Great Illinois Funeral Association Ponzi Scheme  will testify before Congress on behalf of the National Funeral Directors Association, NFDA. on Cemetery Reform.

According  to AHN(ALL  HEAD LINE NEWS), Randall L Earl, a key player in the IFDA TRUST PONZI SCHEME  will testify before  The House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce, Wednesday.$100 million dollars is gone from the IFDA trust.

The Hearing is on the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act which will extend  the Federal Trade Commissions FUNERAL RULE to cemeteries. This all came about because of the Burr oak Cemetery Scam

The fact that the NFDA Would send Randall Earl, their treasurer has foul political smells and is a total

OUTRAGE!

Earl is implicated in  theft, misappropriation of Funds, by the now defunct IFDA Services in the Illinois Funeral Directors Association PONZI SCHEME.

Earl’s resignation has been called for here. Even ConnectingDirectors com a mouth piece for the Traditional Funeral Industry has questioned Earl’s integrity.

Other Leaders in the Funeral Industry have called for Earl,s resignation.

Specifically Earl has been accused of misappropriating TRUST FUNDS to the Illinois Museum of Funeral Customs.(owned and operated by the IFDA)

Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Illinois Governor Calls Illinois Funeral Directors Ponzi 8 year Coverup-Your Funeral Guy.

IFDA leaders took money from a funeral trust fund

The Illinois Governor Called the Illinois Funeral Directors Ponzi Scheme a 8 year cover up by his opponent The Illinois Comptroller  Dan Hynes. Quinn also refered to the IFDA  Preneed Trust Scandal  as  a Madoff Like Scheme -something I have been saying for years.

The Illinois Funeral irectors Association pulled off a Madoff like Insurance sacm to the tune of 100 million dollars

Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes did not report the scandal as Criminal activity early on when Randall L Earl  was IFDA Presdient Eight Years ago. EARL IS Currently the  NFDA,National Funeral Directors Association Treasurer.

QUINN CAMPAIGN DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM DAN HYNES ON EIGHT-YEAR COVER-UP OF $100 MILLION FUNERAL FUND SCANDAL
SAYS FAILURE TO END 8-YEAR FRAUD UNDERMINES CLAIM OF EFFECTIVE FISCAL MANAGEMENT

CHICAGO — The Quinn for Illinois campaign is calling on Comptroller Dan Hynes to give honest answers to consumers about the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Pre-Need Trust Fund – a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme that flourished for almost a decade under the Comptroller’s direct supervision.

via radiochicagoland.blogspot.com

Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Theft of preneed Funds does not help families with funeral cost

Madoff Crowd Opportunity from panthor’s photo stream at flickr under the creative commons license

Illinois Funeral Directors Assoc.above the Law-yourfuneralguy

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association believes it's gentleman's agreement with politicians places it above the law.

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association believes they are above the Law. This is according to details of their lawsuit reported last Friday. The Comptroller of the State of Illinois says that they stole the money out of the IFDA Preneed trust. Rather than face up they have decided to do a lawsuit against the Comptroller.

Now the average working stiff when caught stealing  10-100 million dollars does not usually get to sue the police. It’s the jail house right away.

Illinois Comptroller Press Release:

“An audit by Hynes’ office determined the entity took more than the legally allowed amount of fees from 2000 to 2006.”

So the  IFDA leaders took the money. They try to justify their theft of money in a lawsuit:

via the State Journal Register, Newspaper:

“After Hynes demanded in May that IFDA return the fees, the association sued the comptroller in Cook County, saying it was entitled to the money. In its lawsuit, IFDA says former Comptroller Roland Burris in 1980 set the fee limit at 5 percent of principal for the trust, and the principal swelled to as much as $300 million.

However, the General Assembly amended the Burial Funds Act in 1989, limiting fees to 25 percent of earnings. There was no guarantee that the trust would earn any money, so the association turned to another section of state law governing trusts that allows trustees to collect “proper expenses” and “reasonable compensation.”

IFDA says it was trying to protect consumers when it collected fees larger than allowed by the Burial Funds Act.

“Without reasonable compensation, IFDA Services would have been forced to cease operations and place thousands of Illinois consumers in the precarious and frightening position of losing the trustee of the funds they depended on for proper burial services,” IFDA said in its lawsuit.”

Now just because you have a gentleman’s agreement with likes of Roland Burris (D){Or a gentlewoman’s agreement with  Dawn Clark Netsch (R)} does not put you above the law.

William Statler An expert lawyer in these matters wrote an interesting article on the IFDA being above the law. Here is a snippet from his article:

“the IFDA sought to enforce their gentleman’s agreement. Unfortunately for consumers and funeral directors, that agreement was flawed from the start”

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association failed to declare that it was taking more money out of the trust than allowed by law. They choose to fail  and operate above the Law.  Will the courts say the the IFDA is above the Law?

I HOPE NOT. Some high powered folks  in the funeral industry, the State of Illinois and the US Senate hope so.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

You can read more on this here:

Illinois Funeral Directors Possible Felons

Felony Charges a possibility in Illinois Funeral Fund theft-yourfuneralguy

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association has conducted a Funeral Scam where up to 100 million dollars was lost

Felony Charges  could happen in the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Preneed Ponzi Scheme. The former trust administrator Karen Blankenship, admitted this in a deposition in April. The Illinois Comptrollers Office confirmed this.

Funds were taken out of the IFDA preneed trust beyond the amount allowed by law. This is a felony.

From Karen Knowles, the Office of the Comptroller, State of Illinois via the State Journal Register, Newspaper

“We are pursuing civil actions because they are the best way to obtain funds for consumers,” Knowles wrote in an e-mailed response to queries from The State Journal-Register.

“A criminal action in state court is always an option. … The comptroller’s office alerted appropriate authorities of its findings. In cooperation with the attorney general’s office, we have demanded return of $9.6 million in excess fees.”

More of what has been kept from the public is coming into the light.

The IFDA presidents in 2006 and 2007 should be held directly accountable. So Should the Director of the Museum of Funeral Customs.

IFDA:President 2006-2007-Charles Childs Jr, AA Rayner and Sons Modern Funeral Service, aarayner.com/FuneralHome

IFDA President 2007-2008 Geoffrey W. Hurd, Hurd Hendricks Funeral Homes, hurd-hendricksfuneralhome.com

Director Of Museum of Funeral Customs: NFDA Executive Secretary, Randall L Earl.www.brintlinger.com

If anyone else misappropriated, stole or embezzled 2 million dollars.
Where would they be….prison.

What is taking so long?

Collecting from the Folks Funeral money 2 million dollars 2 years in a row is a despicable theft.
Quoting from the State Journal Register Article, Springfield, Illinois:

“Audits commissioned by IFDA show the association collected more than $2 million in fees in 2006 and again in 2007′.”

Funeral Industry |Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Randall L Earl is named here because he is public figure as the National Funeral Directors Association Executive Secretary. He is an ex IFDA President and named in this Scandal in the publication the Funeral Service Insider.

Charles Childs Jr. is a public figure because he is an ex IFDA President and has been named in this Scandal in a February 2008 State Journal Register Article.

Geoffrey W. Hurd is named in this post because he is an ex IFDA President named in the press.

The three are defendants in multiple lawsuit(s).

The gentlemen mentioned here are innocent till proven guilty but given the gravity of the situation, they should not be in leadership roles in the industry. This is your funeral guy’s opinion. Other people in the industry and the press have addressed these matters.

THE IFDA LOGO COMES FROM E_MAILS TO YOUR FUNERAL GUY FROM THE IFDA.

Funeral Preneed is Dead Even in the Richest Towns-YourFuneralGuy.

A Preneed Funeral Arrangement is a contract, it is not wise to participate

Funeral preneed is dead and in need of a burial. This is true even in the richest cities and towns. The main reason is that no honest funeral director will say that you can lock in today’s prices 1, 2, or 10 years from now. In the Uncertain economy the pitch given for 30 years in the funeral industry has become a lie.  If a funeral director or preneed specialist(counselor) tells you that prices are “locked in” get up and leave.

Even In the posh suburbs of Chicago Preneed sales are scant.

From  Naperville the plush Chicago Suburb.

“Stephanie Jones-Kastelic, co-owner of Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, said the number of prepay{PRE NEED} packages purchased is going down.

In previous years, financially well-off couples in their 70s and 80s would come to the funeral home to pre-purchase funeral packages so their children or family would not have to cover the costs. This year, Jones-Kastelic said, she sees very few of those couples, and most of her pre-pay customers are seniors about to go on Medicare who want to spend their own money on the expense, which Medicare does not cover.”-THE NAPERVILLE SUN

The Funeral Preneed Scandals have been massive in the last several years:Illinois Funeral Directors Association  (IFDA up to 100 Million), National Prearranged Services(NPS over 1 Billion), Wade Funeral Home, Burr Oak Cemetery-many more.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Source: THE NAPERVILLE SUN and the Funeral Experience of Your Funeral Guy.

Burr Oak Cemrtery Scandal: Proposed legislation Comment -yourfuneralguy

Subcommittee returns to DC to write Federal Cemetery Legislation

A  United States House of Representatives Subcommittee is about to propose Federal Cemetery legislation. This is in reaction to the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal. The comments here by MarsellusM710 are his opinions and not those of Your Funeral Guy.

“Dear Funeral Guy and Funeral Service Colleagues,

When will it all stop???  The idiotic actions and the lack of integrity of those involved with the infamous catastrophes in funeral service is simply unforgivable. Tri-State Crematory, NPS, IFDA, the organ/tissue ordeal, SCI’s Cemetery problems, and God only knows how many others and now Burr Oak.  What were they thinking???

And every time there is a reported wrongdoing issue in funeral service or cemetery care the consumer advocacy groups rear their ugly heads and scream for new or more regulation, When in fact there is more than likely regs on the books that already cover the violations and wrongdoings but are not enforced.

Regulators need to get off their duffs and out of the office buildings and be more visible in the field.  In one instance, a field auditor for the Illinois Office of the Comptroller, was doing his or her job, but the boss (Hynes) wasn’t listening or didn’t want to listen, and you see what that got IFDA Trust into.  When regulators, local, state or federal, don’t or won’t do their jobs and lets take it on down to the managerial level, you can almost bet fraud, deceit and greed will raise their ugly heads.

The deeds done at Burr Oak Cemetery has the gruesome makings for an ungodly horror movie.
The Black Community, an entity of people who truly value the traditional funeral, done a dirty deed by a group within the “community” itself.  Crime truly knows no color or economic background.  Those involved with this will not survive prison.  The Black Community will not stand for this to go “unpunished”, even behind prison walls.

Respectfully submitted,
MarsellusM710″

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

“From the Chicago Tribune”

Stirred by the emotional testimony of the living victims of the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal, congressional leaders left Chicago on Monday intending to push for legislation for federal oversight of the cemetery industry.

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Bodies Piling up: LA Reality to become National Trend?-yourfuneralguy

Will the Piling up of Bodies be a National Trend?

Bodies piling up at the Los Angeles and The Burr Oak Cemetery, near Chicago may become a national trend. It all goes back to the recession and people not having enough money to bury their Loved Ones. In LA the cremation of indigent loved ones is up 36%. People just cannot afford to pick up their dead.

In Illinois the State has suspended full funding of indigent burials and people are concerned that bodies may pile up there as well. The reality of the situation is that most funeral homes will not pickup the bill without significant reimbursement.

From the examiner.com in Chicago:

“Just as cemetery owners are battling bad press from the Burr Oak’s scandal, where bodies were dug up so cemetery staffers could double-dip on grave sales, funeral directors find out the state is killing its tradition of paying for funerals of the poor.

The bodies are going to pile up, predicts Chris Wooldridge, President of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, in a press release.”

“As the voice of funeral service in Illinois we are gravely concerned this scenario will become a reality,” Wooldridge warns.

The recession has many funeral homes and funeral directors struggling. The situation is made worse in Illinois by the Illinois Funeral Directors Preneed Ponzi.Scheme.

A case can be made that bodies will pile up at cemeteries as well.
Funeral Director and new IFDA President Chris Woodridge knows all about the pile ups.
Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Historical Casket At AA Rayner and Son-YourFuneralguy

The historical Emmet Till Casket is at the AA Rayner & Son Funeral Home in Chicago. This is where the civil rights, martyrs casket is now located. There the casket will be restored and moved to a new location.

The family chose this funeral home partially because that is where the slain teenager lied in state after he was murdered in 1955.

The current owners of Burr oak cemetery were the casket was left to rot are directly responsible for this act of disrespect to the black community. The corporation is Perpetua Inc.

Charles Childs Jr is the co owner of the Funeral Home AA Rayner and Son.

The fact that his funeral home holds this historical relic should not bring Mr. Childs immunity from investigation in the IFDA Preneed Trust Ponzi Scheme. (see previous post).

Charles Childs Jr, was president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Trust Fund tanked in 2006 and 2007.

Reports now are that the fund, has now lost 100 million dollars.

Funeral Industry|FuneralBlog by YourFuneralGuy.

ponzi tidbits graphic from Ponzi Website.

Emmit Till

From Source Wikepedia

“In July 2009, while his gravesite appeared undisturbed, his original casket, in which his battered body was famously displayed, was found rusting in a run-down shack on the [Burr Oak]cemetery grounds.”

Born	Emmett Louis Till July 25, 1941(1941-07-25) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 28, 1955 (aged 14) Money, Mississippi, U.S.

Ex-IFDA President-Illinois Funeral Directors Burr Oak Victims-YourFuneralGuy

Charles Childs ia an ex-IFDA President involved in the IFDA Preneed Trust Ponzi Scheme

Ex-IFDA President Charles Childs spoke to Governor Quinn’s Task Force yesterday.  He stated that funeral directors in Illinois are victims of the Burr oak cemetery. Complaining that they he has to spend extra time and resources to help his clients is not becoming, if not unprofessional for a Funeral Director.  Plus, the State has requested records.

In fact Child’s and other Funeral Directors have been served with an “Order Compelling Production of Books and Records.” from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. All contact with Burr oak cemetery must be reported from 2004 t0 2009.

Snippet from the Chicago Tribune:

“To this date, that’s basically all we’ve been doing is trying to find records for families who are unfortunate victims in this,” Childs said. “We ourselves are victims.”

Charles Childs Jr of A.A. Rayner & Sons Modern Funeral Service transferred 2 million $$ out of the IFDA Preneed Trust Fund to Management.

Charles Childs  Jr,is a defendant in multiple lawsuits in the Illinois Funeral Directors Preneed Ponzi Scheme. There is also a federal criminal investigation into him and other Ex-IFDA Presidents. How can his testimony be credible  before the Cemetery Oversight Task Force?

“Under Child’s watch 2 million dollars was transferred from the IFDA Preneed Trust to IFDA Services  for management fees according to the State Journal Register newspaper in Springfield, Illinois.” $250,000.oo was also transfered to the Museum under his watch from 2006 to 2007. From the SJR: Article:

“According to an IFDA-commissioned audit, the foundation that ran the museum received at least $250,000 annually in 2006 and 2007 from the association, which got more than $2 million each of those years from management fees generated by the trust fund.”

Charles Childs was president of the IFDA from  2006 to 2007.
The grief and hurt caused by the Burr oak cemetery scandal is beyond comprehension. This is a horrific tragedy.

Ex- IFDA President Charles Childs Jr, defends loans out of trust fund.

Charles Childs Jr Illinois Funeral Regulator at heart of IFDA Ponzi Scheme

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral  Guy

Illinois Funeral Directors File Lawsuits Against Comptroller-yourfuneralguy

Illinois Funeral Directors are suing various arms of the State of Illinois, IFDA, and Merrill Lynch.

Illinois Funeral Directors who are suing the IFDA(Illinois funeral directors Association)  for losses coming close to 100 million dollars in the IFDA preneed trust fund are now suing the regulator, the Comptroller of the State of Illinois and others.

The Plaintiffs are suing State comptroller Dan Hynes, Division of Insurance head Michael McRaith,  and Merrill Lynch, the IFDA’s former financial advisor and current trustee of the IFDA preneed trust.

This is the original Lawsuit: View Here Amended Derivative Complaint

Calvert Funeral Homes, et al. v. Robert W. Ninker, et al.
Case No. 09 CH 03624 (Cook County, IL)

This is the lawsuit against the Comptroller and other regulators and Merrill View here Declaratory Judgement

Fred C. Dames Funeral Homes, Inc., et al. v. Daniel W. Hynes, et al.
Case No. 09 CH 21989 (Cook County, IL)

This lawsuit against Merrill Lynch: View here Jury Trial

Clancy-Gernon Funeral Homes, Inc., et al v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., et al
Case No. 09 CH 20736 (Cook County, IL)

From the Illinois Senate Press:

“Funeral directors have filed another lawsuit related to a failed pre-need funeral trust fund once administered by the Illinois Funeral Directors Association…..

In the lawsuit, filed in Cook County July 7, funeral directors are asking a judge to nullify provisions in a settlement agreement between the Department of Insurance and Merrill Lynch, which agreed to pay an $18 million fine but admitted no wrongdoing.

The money is supposed to go to funeral directors who must first sign documents releasing Merrill Lynch from liability.”

THE LAWSUIT PILE ON FOR THE CONSUMER MEANS MORE FUNERAL COSTS.

All the parties feel they are justified in their actions, but you the consumer loose.

Funeral Industry, Funeral blog by Your Funeral guy