NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- A former New Jersey oral surgeon convicted of stealing organs, bones and tissue from more than 1,600 bodies is dying of bone cancer in prison, officials say.
Michael Mastromarino pleaded guilty in 2008 to stealing the body parts, some of which were diseased, and selling them as tissue replacements to unknowing clients.
The 49-year-old received last rites two weeks ago at Wende Correctional Facility, a prison for ailing inmates. He is reportedly down to 125 pounds and unable to hold a cup, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.
His ex-wife and two children visited him last week.
Mastromarino and three assistants were convicted of forging consent forms and other documents to steal parts from bodies at funeral homes between 2000 and 2005. Some of the pieces were tainted with cancer and AIDS, which then spread into recipients.
Victims from whom parts were taken included Alistair Cooke, the host of "Masterpiece Theatre."
Mastromarino, his company, BioMedical Tissue Services, and three tissue-processing companies have been named in more than 1,000 civil suits filed by tissue recipients.
