Ex-Boston Funeral Director Gets Up To 5 Years in Prison

BOSTON (AP) _ A former Boston funeral home director has been sentenced to up to five years in prison for improperly storing dead bodies, stealing almost $150,000 in funeral pre-payments and working without a license.

Joseph O'Donnell apologized in court on Wednesday after changing his plea to multiple charges including improper disposal of human remains and larceny.

The 57-year-old O'Donnell said he was ``truly sorry'' and said ``desperation'' caused him to make ``terrible decisions.''

Prosecutors said O'Donnell's license expired in 2009 but he continued doing business until the foreclosure of his funeral home in 2013. Investigators found 12 decomposed bodies, along with 32 sets of cremated remains, in July 2014 in a self-storage facility O'Donnell rented in Weymouth.

In addition to prison time, O'Donnell was sentenced to five years of probation.