Kansas man sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison for illegal autopsy scheme

A Kansas man who admitted running an illegal autopsy scheme has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for wire fraud.

Shawn Parcells, 42, who lived in Topeka and Leawood, was sentenced Monday in federal court to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office said. He pleaded guilty in May. As part of the plea deal, nine other fraud counts were dropped.

Parcells, as owner of National Autopsy Services, persuaded a client to pay $5,000 for an autopsy, according to court records. The client received an emailed autopsy report that appeared to be authored by Parcells. No pathologist was involved in the examination or report, which is illegal.