Former Smith Township funeral director sentenced
A former Smith Township funeral director was ordered to spend almost four years under county probation officials’ supervision after she admitted to forging a client’s signature on an insurance document and commingling funds she’d received from dozens of clients with her own money.
Washington County Judge Michael J. Lucas sentenced Lynn Sue Taucher, 57 – whose address is listed in court papers as being at the same Erie Mine Road property where she has owned a funeral home since 1992 – to 23 months of county intermediate punishment and another two years of probation Friday. Lucas also ordered Taucher to serve the first month on house arrest.
Taucher already repaid all 50 victims identified during the course of the case a total of more than $383,000.
“To our knowledge, there are no victims outstanding,” Deputy Attorney General Courtney Butterfield told Lucas. She also said Taucher never defaulted on a prepaid funeral.
More than 20 people attended the hearing. Taucher stood near the front of the courtroom as 10 of them – many of whom were among the dozens who’d already sent letters asking the judge for clemency – spoke on her behalf. She had to regain her composure before she addressed the court.
“I am sincerely sorry for my actions,” she said. “And I extend my heartfelt apology to this court and to all of my victims.”
At the heart of the case were allegations Taucher collected funds for prepaid funerals from clients and commingled them with her own money, instead of keeping the money in an escrow account and reporting it to the state as required by law, according to court papers. Investigators alleged she used the money for gambling and business expenses.
One of those customers also told an investigator she’d been in Florida the same day in 2012 when she had purportedly co-signed a paper authorizing funds from her late husband’s insurance policy to be released to the funeral home.
Taucher’s attorney, Kevin Zinski, asked for a term of probation for his client, saying she’d taken responsibility and repaid the money in question.
“I sincerely don’t believe that she ever had any sinister thoughts about what she was doing,” Zinski said.
Butterfield didn’t recommend a specific sentence.
“Based upon our plea agreement and based upon the number of victims that were requesting leniency, the commonwealth decided to present all the evidence and rely on the experience of the court,” she said.
Butterfield said Taucher also voluntarily surrendered her license for life. Zinski said his client is in the process of selling her business.
Many of the people who spoke about Taucher’s character said they’d had multiple relatives whose funerals she’d handled. They also pointed to community service and charity work she’d done.
“She shows the people who come to her more compassion than anybody I’ve ever seen,” said Anselmo Orga, who said he’d known Taucher almost 40 years.
Lucas said he didn’t find a sentence of total confinement appropriate in the case.
“It is unfortunate that after such a great record of service to your community you have come to this day,” he said.