JOHNSTOWN — Brian M. Barnett, the former funeral home director who admitted improperly burying or mishandling the remains of 17 people, was sentenced to 2⅓ to 7 years in prison Monday in Fulton County Court.
The case outraged the relatives of the dead, with more than two dozen families raising questions last year about how their dead relatives’ remains were handled. Police suspected Barnett may have run into financial difficulties running the funeral home.
Barnett pleaded guilty on March 15 to the top count in the indictment of third-degree grand larceny as well as concealment of a human corpse and scheme to defraud, all felonies, plus three misdemeanor counts of improper burial of a body and operating a funeral home without a license or registration.
In exchange, Barnett, 35, was to be sentenced to the prison term Judge Michael Smrtic imposed Monday for the top count.
The judge noted the pain suffered by the families and the impact the case had on the police and medical examiners who worked on the investigation.
“It’s horrific what they went through and I hope that sticks with you,” Smrtic told Barnett.
Under the terms of his plea deal, Barnett will be banned from owning and operating a funeral home in New York, since his license will be permanently revoked.
Police have said Barnett, then the owner of Ehle-Barnett Funeral Home, had lost his license to practice as a funeral home director in November 2021, and that the Ehle-Barnett Funeral Home was not a licensed funeral…
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