Penndel Funeral Home Owner Forged Death Certificates, District Attorney Says

PENNEL -- A local funeral home owner who is accused of forging death certificates has been charged with several felonies, the District Attorney's office announced this week. Authorities say David Wayne Faust, 52, falsified death certificates by forging doctors’ signatures and collected more than $100,000 in Social Security disability benefits despite being able to work.

Faust, a Hulmeville resident and owner of Faust Funeral Home in Penndel, was arraigned on numerous felony and misdemeanor charges, including theft by deception, forgery, tampering with public records, receiving stolen property, identity theft and insurance fraud.

Authorities say between 2015 and 2016, Faust illegally filled in the names, titles, license numbers, addresses and signatures of seven different doctors on death certificates for seven people whose funerals were handled by his business. Investigators determined Faust had forged the signatures and that the certificates were completed without their knowledge, authorization or consent, the affidavit says.

Pennsylvania law requires local registrars to transmit death certificates to the Pennsylvania Department of Health within 96 hours of a person’s death. The funeral director is responsible for filing the death certificate with the local registrar, authorities explain.

Also, during the investigation, Faust told detectives that he long has suffered from injuries and receives full Social Security disability benefits. "That clashed with other statements made by Faust to investigators that he handles most of the duties at the funeral home," the District Attorney's office said. Faust received $113,273.70 in benefits despite being able to work, the affidavit says.

Faust later acknowledged to investigators that he continued to perform "a large amount of the work" at the funeral home, and that he had continued to work there during the years he claimed to have been disabled, the affidavit says.

His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 10.