State Rep Applauds Advancement of Bill to Help Victims of Funeral Home Fraud

HARTFORD – State Rep. Tammy Nuccio, R-Tolland, is applauding the advancement of legislation from the Appropriations Committee focused on assisting victims "harmed by fraudulent or unlawful funeral service practices."

Nuccio crafted the proposal, HB 5381, which would establish a Funeral Service Compensation Account to provide grants to individuals and families who were victimized by fraudulent
funeral service practices, most prominently in north central Connecticut.

The bill advanced from the committee on Wednesday with strong bipartisan support.

HB 5381 now awaits consideration in the House and Senate.

"This legislation is about making families whole after they've been taken advantage of during one of the most difficult times in their lives," said Rep. Nuccio, the committee's Ranking House Member.

"When someone loses a loved one, they should be able to trust that their final arrangements will be handled with dignity and integrity, and not have to worry about whether their money is being misused. This bill is an important step toward restoring that trust and ensuring victims have a path to relief, and I
really look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance its passage."

The legislation was drafted in response to the case of funeral director Philip Pietras, 51, of Coventry, who became the focus of a criminal investigation amid accusations that he bilked families who pre-paid for services out of thousands of dollars used for personal gambling and pleasure trips.

In September 2025, the Vernon Police Department announced that Pietras had been charged with 60 counts of intent to defraud funeral service contracts and 20 counts of second-degree larceny following an extensive investigation into allegations of fraudulent activity involving 66 pre-planned funeral contracts.

According to a warrant, the investigation began in April 2025.

Pietras' bond was set at $800,000.

He also faces charges out of East Windsor, Tolland and his hometown of Coventry.

Detectives investigated Pietras' business practices from 2009-onward, according to a warrant. The payments from clients deposited into a Pietras Funeral Homes account ranged from $100 to tens of thousands.

Personal trips cited in the warrant mostly centered around gambling and casinos visited by Pietras and included Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and the MGM in Springfield close by and farther trips to places like the Bellagio and the Hard Rock in Last Vegas. Trips to Harrah's in Atlantic City were also mentioned n the warrant.

And the gambling was extensive. For example, plays credited to Pietras' account at Foxwoods were worth $8,150,696 and his wife's plays were worth $2,079,792, according to a warrant.

And he didn't always win. In a report from Mohegan Sun obtained by police, Pietras' accumulated $1,220,451 in losses from 2010 to 2024, mostly playing slot machines, according to a warrant.

He also gambled via online services, according to a warrant.

Detectives said in a warrant that he incurred "innumerable" expenses for restaurants and shopping sprees in Connecticut, along with other "frivolous" expenses.

Pietras owned the Burke-Fortin Funeral Home in Vernon and the stately Victorian Era mansion in the Rockville section of town that housed the business is for sale.

In July, the state Board of Embalmers revoked his license.

According to a warrant, Pietras told detectives that he would "rectify" the situation. According to a warrant, when asked by detectives if it were a common practice to use business accounts to fund personal endeavors, he responded, "Not really, but it might be the card I had available at the time. I just did it."

A Coventry warrant cites 19 cases involving twenty-two victims with a total loss of more than $165,000. Pietras was charged with 22 counts of selling a funeral service contract with intent to defraud, and 11 counts of second-degree larceny by embezzlement, and one count of second-degree forgery.

A warrant out of East Windsor cites a total of $81,300 missing from clients' accounts, ranging from $4,500 to $15,700. He is facing a first-degree larceny charge there.