Jackson Jambalaya

How many funeral homes have been in the news lately for fraud? I recall several in the Tupelo area with some troubling crimes being prosecuted but the stories seem to fade without a report of the conclusion. Does Mississippi's funeral industry lack adequate regulation maybe?

Awesome job, AG!!! Way to show our auditor how it’s done.

YET JIM HOOD DOES NOTHING ABOUT CANTON MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMISSIONERS STEAKING OVER $300,000 of the public’s money. SHAD WHITE NOTIFIED HOOD BUT ED AND BARBARA BLACKMON TOLD HOOD TO STAND DOWN.

Every funeral home sells preneed. What is different in this case to make it against the law?

Check out the website now ... sketchy!!

http://grenadafuneralhomes.weebly.com/

@6:08

The answer to your question: "Robinson knew he was not licensed to sell under state law and were not funded by a trust or insurance. He allegedly converted this money for his own use."

The press release is a little contradictory. Did he “trick” the couple as the complaint suggests or did he knowingly sell pre-need services without authorization under state law? It is impossible to tell if he “tricked” them until they pass away without the fulfillment of the deal or if he has no intention or capacity to perform these services.

Robinson's business is booming, as people are dying to see him.

I agree with 6:08. What's the deal? The "Dignity" funeral home I've had to deal with twice in the last year worked with my family on a "preneed" deal money up front pay before your dead kind of deal. A 2 fer with all included for $7290? That's a BARGAIN if they actually hold up their end of the deal. Each of the two that I was in on were well past 10K EACH with a wooden casket, NO embalming, NO service, NO Limousine for the family and a less than 20 mile trip to the cemetery. The funeral homes take your "money up front" and invest it in the markets. It's a business structure. For that matter, my Aunt pre-paid for her entire funeral service in 1976 at the time her husband passed away. She wound up living to the age of 99 and passed away in 2009....so that's what, 33 years the funeral home had her money invested somewhere.....THEN when she did pass away, the casket she had chosen was discontinued, so they charged her brother $25 (TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS) for the upgrade to the next best thing! I didn't stick around for "the closing of the grave" on hers, but the 4 since in my family I've stuck around for the closing to make sure it is done and done properly.

"Yo friends might be the last ones to lift you up, but I be the last one to let you down!"

The law needs to take a "much closer" look at Grenada. Lots more corruption going on there. It ain't near kosher -- run like its own little Central American country.

That's what happens when you forget to extend the proper tribute$$$ to Bennie and Derrick.

8:58 - YOU got TOOK!

More regulation? How about more competition? Do you know how impossible it is to go out and start a funeral home due to protectionist laws in Mississippi? Like so many other industries in Mississippi, they have built a Chinese wall around their turf with the help of the legislature.

Two observations: First God bless the funeral business without which we'd be stuck undressing poor old granny and hosing off her last poop and making up her sad wrinkled face and sticking her in a box that Bud and Will made out the back door. It's fairly unpleasant work and they are entitled to a decent wage.

Secondly: My father, whom I hated, bought a prepaid deal whereby they picked up his carcass, cremated it, stuck it in a box, and UPSed him to me with a note directing that I should scatter his ashes over the Gulfstream where he squandered his whole life -- at my mother's expense -- fishing. Well I don't believe in cremation or divorce and the SOB left his family cold when I was 16. When I got the ashes I left him in my gun safe for 15 years until my mom died. Oh, I wasn't a hard guy, I would take him out to watch the Super Bowl every year. When she passed away I buried her in her family's plot next to her dead sea captain brother -- my dad and he HATED each other -- but before we lowered her down I stuck his ashes in the box with her. To add to his and his dead brother-in-law's mutual torments in hell.

In light of my experience I support prepaid policies and the funeral industry in general. Jim Hood is off base here.

Cremation...It's the up and coming thing. It has long been the choice for many outside of the South. Now it is finally the choice of more and more people here. Thank goodness my late wife requested to be cremated when she passed away a few years ago. The total cost for the cremation, full service and urn was a little over $2500. Just out of curiosity I priced a basic coffin and cemetery lot with the same service. It was over $10,000. Needless to say I too will be cremated. My decision is taken not only with the cost in mind, but also due to the lack of "perpetual" care at many cemeteries.

Many funeral homes will stiff you if they can get away with it.

What's up with "funeral clothes"? Many people today are completely satisfied walking around every day looking like a slob wearing T-shirts and shorts. Yet when they stop breathing relatives who saw them looking like a slob everyday above ground all of a sudden think they need a suit below ground.

5:27am so gets it right. something like this happenes and here in mississippi they immediately begin screaming for more laws, more regulation, another administrative agency , board or association created by the legislature, filled with bureaucrats performing do nothing jobs. more regulation only makes it worse. bring back a little good old fashioned completition in the market. but thats the unthinkable around here where the leading growth industry is government. the funeral home business in this state has long had a history of anti-competitive dealings . the industry has maintained a literal cartel that rivals that of OPEC. does anybody recollect that huge civil case regarding monopolistic competition among funeral homes on the gulf coast about 15 years ago?

Scruggs, Epps, Adams and now another big fish in Skeeter Robinson. Damn, Jim Hood is knocking 'em down like bowling pins.

Some of you have reading comprehension problems. Did you read the story?

The issue is that a funeral home sold a product that they are not authorized to sell (lack of insurance) and used the money for PERSONAL use. I will say PERSONAL use again for you speed readers who simply skim a story or just jump to the comment section.

In this case it is safe to say that they were not going to get the service they paid for.

How many Mississippi coroners are also undertakers? How many legislators own funeral homes? How many lawyers sell insurance? How many legislators are lawyers? Don't 'follow the money'....Follow the conflicts of interest - Then you'll find the money.

When I die, I want all my friends to enjoy a party and I want a pinata so they'll have fun. But fill the pinata with bees so they have too damned much fun.

What about the funeral homes in Grenada and Baldwyn - Delbert Hosemann did not have those funeral home operators indicted? one of the men was the chairman of the Mississippi Funeral Services Board> Delbert- do your job!

Most likely a political foe of Steve Holland, also in the funeral business.

Speaking of insurance fraud, we've somehow missed this one. Dustin Blount of Vicksburg(but formerly lived in the Jackson Metro Area. Instead of 2 counts, he initially has 11. I bet if they spent much time and dug further they could find a lot more.

https://www.wlbt.com/2019/02/27/insurance-agent-arraigned-count-indictment-fraud/

You can bet your embalming table and suit coat split-up-the-back that Stevie Holland has looked out for his personal interests the past 35 years. Plus he is on the verge of a nice PERS payout.

Isn't Carlos Moore a fixture in Grenada too? Grenada has some real ... uhhh ... interesting ... characters dealing with the public.

The saddest thing is that Skeeter has been an excellent coroner. He has knowledge and experience and shows the most sincere respect for the deceased and their families. He is also a person that would go far out of his way to help just about anyone. His shortcoming is simply that he always aspired to a lifestyle beyond his means. That is a pretty common failure and doesn't make him a bad person. In this case, a criminal, yes, but still, not a bad person. I just hope that one of his opponents in the up coming election has the class to do a respectful job. But then, this is Grenada, the home of "Carlos the Clown" and Carlos has a lot of company. I too am offended by Hood's pick and choose as to which issues of corruption to prosecute. In Grenada, this is barely a ripple on the water.

FBI needs to investigate Jim Hood and his cozy relationship with the Blackmon’s.......