*Eric Reichbart took deposits from grieving families for headstones he never delivered. He pleaded guilty to larceny. His actual jail sentence: 30 days.*
Eric Reichbart owned Spartan Stone and Monument, a cemetery marker company in New Haven, Connecticut. Between 2021 and 2024, multiple families paid him thousands of dollars for headstones for their deceased loved ones. The headstones were never delivered.
Reichbart was arrested on August 26, 2025 and charged with third-degree larceny. He pleaded guilty earlier this month. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to five years in prison, execution suspended after 30 days, and three years of probation.
The phrase "execution suspended after 30 days" means Reichbart will serve 30 days in actual custody. The remaining four years and 11 months hang over him as a suspended sentence. If he violates probation, the court can order him to serve all or part of that time.
For the families who paid Reichbart and received nothing, 30 days is the answer the legal system gave them.
By the Numbers
How the case surfaced
On September 19, 2025, WTNH News 8 ran an exclusive story on Spartan Stone and Monument. Reporter Ellie Sennhenn interviewed a family who had paid nearly $3,000 upfront for a headstone for their mother. They never received it.
A warrant obtained by News 8 revealed that Reichbart had also taken a $3,250 deposit from another customer for a headstone that was never delivered.
In March 2025, News 8 investigative reporter Jeff Derderian spoke with multiple people who said they had been scammed by the business. The following month, Reichbart gave his side of the story. When asked whether families would get their headstones, he said: "Yes."
Spartan Stone and Monument is no longer open for business.
The attorney general steps in
On September 17, 2025, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed a civil lawsuit against Spartan Stone and Monuments LLC, owner Eric Reichbart, and employee Joseph Reichbart. The lawsuit, docketed as HHD-CV25-6211139-S in Hartford Judicial District, alleges the business scammed families out of thousands of dollars, documenting instances from 2021 to 2024.
Tong's office had previously sent Reichbart a civil demand letter after the initial news coverage.
The dual-track enforcement matters. Reichbart faced criminal prosecution for larceny in one court and a civil consumer protection lawsuit from the state's top law enforcement official in another. That parallel structure is unusual in headstone fraud cases. Most are handled as either criminal matters (federal wire fraud, state theft charges) or civil matters (lawsuits by victims), but rarely both simultaneously.
In the two other major headstone fraud cases Obitley has documented, Gregory Stefan Jr. was prosecuted federally by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and Jeffrey Phares was prosecuted federally in the Northern District of West Virginia. Neither faced a parallel civil action from a state attorney general.
Tong's involvement reflects a different enforcement model. State consumer protection statutes give attorneys general authority to pursue fraud cases without waiting for federal prosecutors or relying on criminal courts alone.
The civil case is still pending
Court records show the AG's civil lawsuit remains active. As of July 2026, no judgment has been entered and no court dates are scheduled. All three defendants are listed as "Non-Appearing," meaning none has participated in the case.
Service of process has been a recurring obstacle. The AG's office filed four separate amended writs and summonses between September 2025 and April 2026. Two early motions for default were denied by the court before the state succeeded on a third. On June 8, 2026, a default for failure to appear was entered against Spartan Stone and Monuments LLC. No default has been entered against Eric or Joseph Reichbart individually.
The case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Michael A. Nunes of the AG's Consumer Protection Department.
The regulatory gap
Spartan Stone and Monument was a standalone monument dealer. It sold headstones and cemetery markers. It did not provide funeral services.
The FTC Funeral Rule, which requires funeral providers to give families itemized price lists and follow disclosure requirements, applies only to businesses that sell funeral goods and funeral services. Standalone monument dealers are excluded.
No state requires monument dealers to place upfront deposits in escrow. No federal agency tracks headstone fraud as a distinct category. Most state funeral boards license funeral directors, not monument salesmen.
This is the same gap that let Gregory Stefan Jr. operate for five years across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It is the same gap that let Jeffrey Phares operate four cemeteries in West Virginia. And it is the same gap that let Spartan Stone and Monument operate in New Haven for at least three years.
The same regulatory gap spans three cases across three states.
Connecticut's fraud fund does not cover this
Connecticut is the only state in the country that has created a funeral fraud victim compensation fund. Governor Ned Lamont signed HB-5381 on May 19, 2026. The law establishes a fund to compensate victims of prepaid funeral contract fraud.
The law covers prepaid funeral service contracts. It does not cover standalone monument purchases. Families who paid Spartan Stone and Monument for headstones are not eligible.
A state that recognized funeral fraud was serious enough to create a victim compensation fund created one that does not reach the type of fraud committed in its own backyard.
What families can do
If you paid Spartan Stone and Monument, Eric Reichbart, or Joseph Reichbart for a headstone or cemetery marker that was never delivered:
- Gather your documentation. Contracts, receipts, canceled checks, credit card statements, emails, text messages, any correspondence with the business.
- Contact the Connecticut Attorney General's Office. The civil lawsuit filed by AG Tong is ongoing. Contact the office and ask how to be identified as an affected consumer in the case.
- File a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Even if the criminal case is resolved, consumer complaints create a record that can support restitution efforts.
- Consult the restitution terms. The sentencing order may include restitution requirements. Court documents indicate the sentence was handed down Wednesday, but the full terms of any restitution order are not yet publicly available. Contact the New Haven Judicial District Clerk's office for the sentencing order.
- Small claims court remains an option. Connecticut small claims court handles cases up to $5,000. The filing fee is minimal. For a single unpaid headstone deposit in the $3,000 range, small claims may be the fastest path to a judgment.
What needs to change
The FTC Funeral Rule was written in 1984 and has been updated once since. It covers funeral homes, not monument dealers. Every time a standalone headstone seller takes deposits and delivers nothing, the gap becomes visible. Then nothing changes.
Connecticut proved a state can act. The AG's office used consumer protection law to go after Reichbart civilly while criminal prosecutors handled the theft charge. That model works. Other states have attorneys general with the same authority.
What no state has done is close the front end of the problem. Monument dealers are not required to hold a license. Upfront deposits are not required to be held in escrow. The enforcement comes after the damage is done.
What This Means for You
*Sources: WTNH News 8, "New Haven monuments company owner pleads guilty of larceny after customers claim they were scammed," Ellie Sennhenn, July 17-18, 2026; WTNH News 8 investigative reporting by Jeff Derderian, March-April 2025; Connecticut Attorney General William Tong civil lawsuit filed September 17, 2025; Connecticut HB-5381 (Public Act, signed May 19, 2026); Obitley reporting on Gregory Stefan Jr. (Eastern District of Pennsylvania) and Jeffrey Phares (Northern District of West Virginia).*
*Note: This article reflects the civil case docket as of July 20, 2026. The criminal sentencing order, including restitution terms and the complete victim list, was not available at publication time. The civil case remains pending with no judgment entered. This article will be updated as the civil case proceeds and when criminal sentencing documents are obtained.*
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