Former Harvard employee pleads guilty to trafficking donated body parts

New York, (EFE) – The former manager of Harvard’s morgue pleaded guilty on Thursday in a federal court in the state of Pennsylvania to stealing and trafficking human remains that had been donated to the prestigious university’s medical school program, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

“He extracted human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts, from cadavers that had been donated after they were used for research and teaching purposes, but before they could be disposed of as required by the anatomical donation agreement between the donor and the institution,” stated the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania in a press release.

The 57-year-old man admitted to having transported and stolen remains from these cadavers—which were part of Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Donations Program—alongside his wife, and selling them for tens of thousands of dollars to individuals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania between 2018 and 2020.

Following today’s hearing, in which he acknowledged his guilt, the man faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His wife is still awaiting sentencing due to her complicity in these crimes.

Harvard Medical School dismissed Lodge, who had taken the remains to his home before selling them, in May 2023, according to institutional authorities following his indictment. They described his actions as an “abominable betrayal” and “morally reprehensible.”

Lodge acted “without the knowledge or cooperation of anyone else” at the university, Harvard said at the time.