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Burkes indicted for embezzlement from Shackelford Funeral Home

BY JIM NEWSOM
Published Wednesday, January 21, 2004 in the Nevada County Picayune

FORT SMITH  A Prescott husband and wife have been indicted in U.S. District Court on a variety of federal charges stemming from their operations of Shackelford Funeral Home in Prescott.

According to a press release issued by Tom Gean, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, Richard J. Burke and Nancy Burke were each indicted by a federal grand jury on nine counts of obtaining monies by means of false and fraudulent representations; nine counts of obtaining monies and credits under the control of financial institutions by means of false representation; and two counts of embezzling funds by illegally diverting monies.

According to Gean, Richard and Nancy Burke worked respectively as director and assistant director of the Shackelford Funeral Home in Prescott. In addition, according to Gean, Nancy Burke sold annuity contracts through the funeral home for First Guaranty Insurance Co.

Shackelford Funeral Home is owned by Horne Funeral Services, Inc., of Ashdown.

According to the press release, "the indictment (against the Burkes) alleges that beginning in March 1999 and continuing through Jan. 2003, Richard and Nancy Burke, aiding and abetting each other in their employment at Shackelford Funeral Home, illegally diverted to their own personal use business receipts paid by customers to the funeral home."

The release further states the Burkes, "covered up this embezzlement by mailing false accounting records to their corporate headquarters in Ashdown and committed bank fraud by falsely endorsing checks made payable to the Shackelford Funeral Home which were deposited into their personal bank accounts."

Under federal law, if the Burkes were each convicted of each count facing them, they could each be sentenced to a maximum of 470 years in federal prison and each fined a total of $11,750,000.

The case against the Burkes was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The press release states a federal indictment is a form of accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


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