SUFFERN, NY – SUFFERN FUNERAL HOME DIRECTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTIPLE CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH DEFRAUDING CUSTOMERS – Funds Set Aside for Victims

Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the plea of guilty by Scarr Funeral Home owner Leonard Scarr to two counts of grand larceny in the third degree, forgery in the second degree, and scheme to defraud. A thorough investigation by the Ramapo Police Department and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office identified 90 victims with an aggregate loss of $531,017.

Leonard Scarr, 54, of Upper Saddle River, NJ, appeared before Hon. Larry J Schwartz on July 27, 2021 to enter his plea of guilty. In doing so, Scarr admitted to stealing in excess of $3,000 from two victims. Specifically, for the first victim, after contracting with him to set up a prepaid burial account, Scarr deposited the victim’s money into an interest bearing account. Regarding this account, Scarr could only access the account’s funds upon the death of the victim account holder. In order to obtain the funds, Scarr instead forged a death certificate in the victim’s name, presented the forged death certificate to representatives of the bank where the burial escrow account was held, withdrew the funds from the account, and used them for various personal expenses without any permission or authority. At the time of the withdrawal and as of today, the account holder was still alive.

Last fall, in an effort to ensure that all the victims will be fully reimbursed, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, as Plaintiff-Claiming Authority, filed a civil forfeiture action in the Rockland County Supreme Court seeking forfeiture from Leonard Scarr’s property and proceeds from the sale of the Scarr Funeral Home.

In exchange for Scarr’s pleas of guilty, Judge Schwartz promised to sentence Scarr to an indeterminate term of two to six years in state prison with full restitution in the amount of $531,071.37, as recommended by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.