Attorney General James Announces Indictment of Unlicensed Funeral Director for Illegally Performing Funeral Services and Defrauding Mourning Families

April 1, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment of Michael Naughton, 55, of Baldwin, New York, for allegedly operating as an unlicensed funeral director and defrauding mourning New Yorkers out of thousands of dollars. The 20-count indictment, unsealed today in Westchester County Court before Judge Melissa A. Loehr, charges Naughton with illegally providing funeral directing services for dozens of decedents at Camelot Funeral Home in Mount Vernon after his license had been revoked. A January 2026 inspection of Camelot by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) discovered 13 bodies in various states of decomposition and 17 boxes of cremated remains.

"Planning a loved one's funeral can be among the most difficult and vulnerable times in a person's life," said Attorney General James. "Naughton heartlessly took advantage of New Yorkers while knowingly operating his funeral home without a license and failed to take proper care of the remains in his possession. I thank my partners in law enforcement for their partnership in holding Naughton accountable and providing some semblance of peace for the families of the deceased."

"New Yorkers have the right to trust that they are receiving the funeral services they paid for and that the remains of their loved ones are being treated with the highest level of care during times of grief," said State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. "The violations and alleged crimes uncovered at Camelot Funeral Home demonstrate why only licensed funeral directors should be entrusted with the care of human remains. Through the hard work of the Department's Bureau of Funeral Directing, the Attorney General's Office and our local partners, we are sending a clear message that anyone who violates state laws and regulations will be held accountable."

In New York, no person is authorized to engage in the business or practice of funeral directing, undertaking, or embalming without being duly licensed as a funeral director. Naughton's funeral directing license was revoked by DOH's Bureau of Funeral Directing in 2019.

On January 30, 2026, personnel from the Bureau of Funeral Directing conducted an unannounced administrative inspection of Camelot Funeral Home. The inspection discovered 13 bodies in various states of decomposition throughout the facility, including six bodies located in the chapels and three bodies in the detached garage - two of which were stacked on top of one another. Additionally, 17 boxes of cremated remains were recovered from the basement of Camelot. Following this discovery, State Health Commissioner McDonald issued an emergency order directing Camelot to cease operations, turn over all documentation related to any human remains in their custody, and fully cooperate with state and local officials to ensure appropriate plans were made for the disposition of human remains.

A subsequent investigation by the Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau (CEFC) uncovered evidence that between at least May 2025 and January 2026, Naughton allegedly defrauded dozens of New Yorkers out of thousands of dollars by claiming to be a licensed funeral director at Camelot Funeral Home. Naughton allegedly negotiated prices and entered into contracts for funeral services, arranged for transport of decedents, presided over funeral services, and oversaw the disposition of bodily and cremated remains - all of which he was not permitted to do without a funeral directing license. Naughton is also charged with forging a Burial Transit Permit, the required document authorizing the transfer of the deceased to the place of burial or disposition.

The OAG's 20-count indictment unsealed today charges Naughton with three counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a Class D felony), five counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (a Class E felony), one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a Class E felony), one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (a Class D felony), one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (a Class E felony), and nine counts of Unlicensed Practice of Funeral Directing (an Unclassified Misdemeanor). If convicted of the top count, Naughton faces a prison sentence of up to seven years.

The charges against Naughton are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Since January 30, 2026, the OAG has been working with the Medical Examiner's Office at the Westchester County Department of Laboratories and Research to identify and return the remains recovered from Camelot Funeral Home to their relatives. Anyone who believes they were impacted by this scheme is encouraged to contact OAG at [email protected].

Attorney General James recommends that before New Yorkers make arrangements for the deceased, they verify that the funeral director is properly licensed by checking with DOH. New Yorkers are also encouraged to consult OAG's Funeral Services: Know Your Rights page for more information.

Attorney General James thanks DOH's Bureau of Funeral Directing, the Westchester County Department of Laboratories and Research, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, and the City of Mount Vernon for their valuable assistance in this investigation.

"This is a deeply disturbing and heartbreaking situation that has caused unimaginable pain for countless families," said Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. "At a time when families were most vulnerable, they were taken advantage of in the most egregious way. My heart is with every family impacted by this betrayal. We stand with those grieving and are committed to ensuring they receive the support, answers, and justice they deserve. There is no place in our city for this level of negligence and disregard for human dignity. The City of Mount Vernon will continue working closely with the Attorney General's Office and our state partners to ensure full accountability and to protect our community moving forward."

"I want to thank Attorney General James, our partners at the State Department of Health, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, and the City of Mount Vernon, for their thorough investigation and commitment to holding those responsible accountable," said Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. "I am especially proud of the work of our Department of Labs and Research and our Medical Examiner's Office, who have been working with professionalism to identify and return remains to families with the dignity they deserve. First and foremost, our hearts are with the families who entrusted their loved ones to what they believed was a reputable service, only to be met with unimaginable deception. The allegations outlined in this indictment are deeply disturbing and represent a profound betrayal of trust during some of life's most vulnerable moments. Westchester County will continue to support affected families, and ensure that every possible step is taken to restore trust, uphold the law, and protect residents from this kind of misconduct."

"The people of Westchester have an absolute right to expect that the remains of their loved ones will be treated with dignity by those entrusted with their care," said Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace. "The allegations in this indictment are appalling and reflect an alleged brazen scheme to defraud those in the deepest stages of grief. I applaud Attorney General James for taking swift, decisive action against the operator of the Camelot Funeral Home, and we will support her office during every stage of this prosecution."

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Timothy O'Hara and Edward Kerins of CEFC, with the assistance of Legal Support Analyst Sonja Leite, under the supervision of Chief Analyst Jayleen Garcia. Forensic accounting was performed by Forensic Auditor Investigator Danielle Dudley, under the supervision of Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri and Deputy Chief Auditor Sandy Bizzarro of the Forensic Audit Section. The CEFC is led by Bureau Chief Stephanie Swenton and Deputy Bureau Chief Joseph G. D'Arrigo.

Detective Investigators Frank Tirri and Jennifer Garcia of the Investigations Bureau handled the criminal investigation, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Juanita Bright, Assistant Chief Samuel Scotellaro, and Detective Supervisor Anna Ospanova of the Major Investigations Unit. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes. Both CEFC and the Investigations Bureau are part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.