Bucks Co. Funeral Director Declares Living Woman Dead

A Bucks County funeral director has pleaded guilty to forging death certificates — at least one for a person who was not dead — and eight other crimes, authorities with the Bucks County District Attorney's office said.

David Wayne Faust, the 53-year-old owner of the Faust Funeral Home in Hulmeville, on Tuesday admitted in Bucks County Common Pleas Court that he forged death certificates, stole $296,853 from 54 clients who had pre-paid for funeral expenses, and accepted more than $100,000 in government disability benefits he didn’t deserve.

In some cases, Faust’s forging of death certificates, including signatures of physicians, contained accurate information and was done to meet regulatory deadlines, Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber said.

In at least once instance, however, prosecutors say Faust forged a death certificate for a woman who was in fact alive and well. He signed her death certificate around the time he removed more than $8,700 from her account in 2003.

Her death certificate said she had died of small cell cancer. She was unaware that Faust had effectively declared her dead, prosecutors said.

Faust was arrested in April 2017, and was charged with falsifying death certificates by forging doctors’ signatures. He was also charged with collecting more than $100,000 in Social Security disability benefits despite being able to work.

Investigators carrying out a search warrant at the funeral home unearthed evidence that Faust had used money provided by 54 customers who had pre-paid Faust for funeral services. The payments, ranging from $400 to $14,460, had not been reported by Faust to the state as required by law.

Subsequent search warrants for the funeral home’s bank records found evidence that Faust had cashed or otherwise put pre-arrangement funds to his own use.

More than 20 of the pre-pay clients have been repaid in part or in full through Pennsylvania’s Victims Compensation Assistance Program, but those payments total less than $42,000 of the full amont stolen by Faust.

More than $255,000 remains unpaid, in addition to the money owed to the Social Security Administration, prosecutors said.

Faust pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft by deception, two counts of forgery, tampering with public records, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, deceptive business practices and identity theft; and misdemeanor charges of identity theft and falsely pretending to hold a professional or occupational license.

A sentencing date has not been set. He was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 bail, 10 percent cash.

Image via Bucks DA