IF YOU PAID FOR A HEADSTONE AND NEVER RECEIVED IT: Federal Prosecutors Want to Hear From You

*Two federal wire fraud cases involving cemetery headstone sales are in active pre-sentencing restitution phases. If you paid for a headstone or grave marker that was never delivered, federal prosecutors need to hear from you — before the sentencing hearings.*

Two men. Two states. The same crime.

Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 56, of Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 23, 2026, to seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He defrauded nearly 500 families across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware out of more than $1.5 million between 2018 and 2023. The headstones were never delivered.

Jeffrey Phares pleaded guilty on March 19, 2026, to one count of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. He operated four cemeteries across North-Central West Virginia. Prosecutors estimate he stole between $250,000 and $550,000 from families who paid him for grave markers that were never installed.

Both men targeted grieving families. Both accepted upfront payments for custom headstones. Both pocketed the money and fabricated delivery delays when families called to ask why their loved ones' graves remained unmarked.

Both cases are now in the pre-sentencing restitution phase. That means federal prosecutors are compiling the master list of victims who will receive court-ordered repayment. If you paid either man for a headstone or marker that was never delivered, you must contact the U.S. Attorney's Office handling that case to ensure you are included on the restitution order.

Case 1: Gregory J. Stefan Jr. (Eastern District of Pennsylvania)

Stefan operated through multiple companies, including 1843 LLC, Colonial Memorials, Lifestone by Stefan LLC, and Stefan Memorials Inc. He served customers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware between January 2018 and September 2023.

Who to contact:

U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Rice

Federal Bureau of Investigation Philadelphia Field Office

If you believe you were a victim of Gregory Stefan Jr., contact the FBI Philadelphia Field Office and reference the federal wire fraud case against Stefan. Ask how to submit proof of loss for inclusion on the restitution master list.

Acceptable documentation:

• Contracts or order forms from any Stefan-owned business
• Canceled checks, credit card statements, or bank records showing payment
• Receipts or invoices
• Any correspondence (emails, texts, letters) with Stefan or his companies

Case 2: Jeffrey Phares (Northern District of West Virginia)

Phares owned and operated four cemetery properties:

1. Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens — Jane Lew, WV
2. Elkins Memorial Gardens — Elkins, WV
3. Greenlawn Memorial Cemetery — Clarksburg, WV
4. Greenlawn Memorial Park — New Martinsville, WV

Under his plea agreement, Phares was ordered to surrender all business contracts, ledger books, and bank accounts to prosecutors. That data is being analyzed to build a complete restitution list. But prosecutors have said that victims must also come forward on their own.

Who to contact:

U.S. Attorney's Office — Northern District of West Virginia Attn: Victim Witness Unit (Jeffrey Phares Case) 1125 Chapline Street, PO Box 591 Wheeling, WV 26003

Primary Phone: (304) 234-0100

Toll-Free Victim Helpline: 1-800-852-6946

When calling, state clearly that you are calling about the federal wire fraud case against cemetery owner Jeffrey Phares. Ask to speak with a coordinator in the Victim Witness Unit to verify whether your name is already on the master list.

Acceptable documentation:

• Receipts or contracts from any of the four Phares cemeteries
• Canceled checks or bank records
• Any correspondence with Phares or his staff

Why this matters

Neither Stefan nor Phares was regulated as a monument dealer. The FTC Funeral Rule, which requires funeral homes to provide price lists and follow disclosure rules, applies only to businesses that sell funeral goods and funeral services. Standalone monument dealers — businesses that sell headstones and grave markers but do not provide funeral services — are excluded from the Rule.

No federal agency tracks headstone fraud as a distinct category. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network, the national consumer complaint database, has no breakout for monument dealer complaints. Most state funeral boards license funeral directors, not monument salesmen. Monument dealers typically require no license, no bond, and no escrow account for upfront payments.

Connecticut became the first state in the nation to create a funeral fraud victim compensation fund when Governor Ned Lamont signed HB-5381 on May 19, 2026. The law covers prepaid funeral service contracts. It does not cover standalone monument purchases — the exact type of fraud committed by both Stefan and Phares.

Obitley has documented 21 cases of headstone, monument, and cemetery fraud across the United States. The total known losses exceed $8.3 million. The actual total is almost certainly higher, because no agency is counting.

What to do right now

If you paid for a headstone or grave marker from Gregory Stefan Jr. or any of his companies, or from Jeffrey Phares or any of his four cemeteries, and you did not receive what you paid for:

1. Gather your documentation. Find every receipt, contract, canceled check, email, and text message.
2. Call the appropriate U.S. Attorney's Office. For Stefan: FBI Philadelphia Field Office. For Phares: USAO-NDWV Victim Witness Unit at 1-800-852-6946.
3. Submit your proof of loss. Do not assume prosecutors already know about you. Even if your name appears in the seized business records, submitting your own documentation ensures your claim is accurate and complete.
4. Do this before sentencing. Once the sentencing hearing is held, the restitution order is finalized. Adding victims after sentencing is significantly more difficult.

This article will be updated as sentencing dates are announced and as additional cases are identified. If you have information about headstone or monument fraud in your area, contact Obitley at [email protected].