A West Virginia cemetery owner has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges in a case described by prosecutors as a different kind of grave robbing.
Jeffrey Phares, 65, of Fayetteville, owned and operated Greenlawn Memorial Park in New Martinsville, along with three other cemeteries.
According to prosecutors, Phares collected between $250,000 and $550,000 from customers for grave markers but instead used the money for personal expenses.
