Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-one-year-old former funeral home owner in Connecticut faces additional charges for allegedly stealing prepaid funeral money from clients, including his own family members. Here's what may have happened.
On November fourth, two thousand twenty-five, Philip Pietras was arrested by police in East Windsor on six more cases, each charging him with at least one count of second-degree larceny and selling a funeral service contract with intent to defraud. In one East Windsor case, Pietras faces two counts of each charge.
The arrests stem from a pattern of alleged theft that began surfacing earlier this year. In April two thousand twenty-five, Pietras was initially arrested by state police after a firm that manages finances for people with cognitive and physical disabilities reported that their clients' funds were not deposited into the correct account.
Police in East Windsor, Coventry and Vernon arrested Pietras after customers signed contracts for pre-planned funerals at his former funeral homes in those towns. The money was collected at the former Bassinger and Dowd Funeral Home in East Windsor, now under new ownership called East Windsor Community Funeral Home.
Among the victims was an eighty-six-year-old relative who gave Pietras four thousand two hundred fifteen dollars in cash advance toward a total bill of ten thousand four hundred ten dollars. According to warrants, Pietras is family, described as her late husband's cousin.
The timeline of complaints spans several months. In May two thousand twenty-five, a local man filed a complaint with East Windsor Police Department about Pietras. In July two thousand twenty-five, the eighty-six-year-old woman met with an officer about the funeral thefts.
Pietras now has thirty-five cases listed on court dockets with more arrests expected. Connecticut State Police are investigating about two dozen allegations, with complaints still trickling in. Authorities suspect Pietras of stealing prepaid funeral expenses from more than one hundred people across more than thirty cases from police in three towns appearing in two courthouses.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.