NH AG: Man Accused Of Operating Unlicensed Funeral Home

By InDepth NH

Attorney General John M. Formella announces the arrest of James R. Roy, 65, of Claremont, New Hampshire, on one count of operating an unlicensed funeral home, two counts of making funeral arrangements without a license, one count of failure to transmit a death record, four counts of transporting a dead body without a burial permit, and three counts of unsworn falsification.

Roy is scheduled to be arraigned in the 5th Circuit Court – District Division – Claremont on May 16, 2022. All charges are class A misdemeanors, each of which is punishable by up to 12 months in the House of Corrections and a $2,000 fine.

Funeral homes and funeral directors must be licensed in New Hampshire. Funeral directors are also required to file death certificates with, and obtain burial permits from, the New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration.

Roy is the owner of Roy Funeral Home in Claremont. The complaints allege that following the 2021 expiration of Roy’s funeral home and funeral director licenses, Roy continued to accept new clients, failed to file a death certificate, and generated counterfeit burial permits.

The Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and the Claremont Police Department participated in the investigation.

The charges and allegations listed above are merely accusations, and the individual who has been arrested is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney John F. Brown of the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau is prosecuting the case.

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.