56 Bodies, Again, From the Same Operators; 37 Charges in Terre Haute; Selected Members Organize Against the NFDA Deal

Gary Greiner, the longtime Terre Haute funeral director whose business closed in January, was charged on August 20 with 37 counts: one count of corrupt business influence, a Level 5 felony, 35 Level 6 felony counts of theft or fraud, and one misdemeanor theft count. Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt announced the charges at a 2 p.m. news conference and calls them a first wave, with more coming.

The probable cause affidavit carries the core allegation: about 142 prepaid funeral contracts were processed by Greiner and never deposited with a trust fund or insurance company. Indiana law requires that placement within 30 days. The deposit requirement exists so the money survives the funeral home that collected it. The prosecutor puts the total at more than $552,000 in preneed payments; the Indiana Attorney General's licensing complaint says 147 clients were defrauded of more than $550,000.

The Tribune-Star, citing Vigo County Jail records, reports Greiner was booked just before 12:45 p.m. and released about 2:40 p.m. after posting a $50,000 cash bond. The charges allege the same conduct regulators revoked his licenses for two weeks earlier.

The same August 6 board meeting that revoked Gary Greiner's licenses also closed the door on his building's next operator. The Indiana State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service voted 4-0 to deny Edmondson Family Funeral Home Inc. a branch license for the former Greiner Funeral Home at 2005 N. 13th St. in Terre Haute.

Board member Thomas Sproles asked the applicant what ties the new business would have to Greiner. Owner Jeff Edmondson answered that there would be none. The lease said otherwise: $3,500 per month, triple net, with Section E providing that Edmondson and Greiner would "equally split 50% each the net profits on a monthly basis." Confronted with that section, Edmondson acknowledged it.

"He still owns the funeral home, still is pulling the strings on the funeral home," Sproles said before moving to deny. The vote was 4-0. The minutes reconstruct a rare case of a licensing board catching a continuation attempt before it could start.

Two sixth-generation members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes went public on August 20 with a call for members to reject the proposed combination with the National Funeral Directors Association. It is the first organized, named opposition since the deal was announced July 29.

Nathanael M. Billow and Paul C. St. Pierre are establishment figures, which is what makes the break notable. Billow's Ohio firm has been a Selected member since 1933. St. Pierre served as the association's president in 2020. Their central objection is definitional: NFDA's own FAQ confirms the transaction "would be structured as an acquisition of Selected Independent Funeral Homes by NFDA," reducing Selected to two minority board seats and an advisory committee they say has no formal authority.

Both men said they separately requested the letter of intent that members are being asked to approve. Legal counsel for both organizations told them the document is confidential and cannot be shared with members. In a poll of 70 firms, the two men say 85 percent lean no.