LETHBRIDGE HERALD
The owner of a funeral home who defrauded clients and the provincial government won't be sentenced for two more months.
Ralph Zentner, co-owner of Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge, pleaded guilty Jan. 18 in Lethbridge provincial court to one charge of fraud under $5,000. Several other charges, including fraud over $5,000, and offering an indignity to a dead body, were withdrawn, as were related charges against Zentner's wife, Faith.
Following the hearing, during which facts were read into court, Judge Gordon Krinke said he needed time to review the case and adjourned it. The matter was addressed Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court and sentencing was set for April 11.
Zentner defrauded the Alberta government and an unknown number of clients in about 55 transactions involving incidents between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2010. The charge stems from transactions regarding the cremation of people whose remains were the responsibility of the province, including incidents in which the Alberta government was billed for scattering or burying ashes when the service wasn't requested.