On Wednesday (November 18), Shawn Parcells, the man who assisted in the autopsy of 18-year-old Michael Brown, was indicted by the US Attorney’s Office for Kansas on federal fraud charges.
Parcells faces 10 charges of wire fraud, adding to a host of previous cases against the ‘self-taught’ pathologist.
According to a report by KCTV5, Parcells performed dozens of botched autopsies, and collected $1.1 million in fees from hundreds of families for autopsy work he never completed.
The Kansas City Star reported he’s been under investigation in Kansas for the past two years, and faces at least one other lawsuit and state criminal charges for theft and desecration of a body.
After the 2014 murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson, Brown’s family called on reputable pathology expert Michael Baden to conduct an independent autopsy.
Parcells assisted him and even appeared on national television describing details of the case.
Brown’s murder was decried nationally and sparked protests in Ferguson, Missouri for several months.
The court’s recent indictment alleges Parcells never told families he had no formal training and was therefore in violation of the Kansas Consumer Protect Act. Parcells received a court order to stop performing autopsies and shut down his business.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt also claims that Parcells charged a county for at least 14 autopsies that were never completed.
If convicted, Parcells faces up to 20 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 fine for each count.
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