Portsmouth Herald Local News: Arraignments set April 7 in cremation caseArchivesBusiness Entertainment Health Living Maine News Online Only Public Records Sports Tourism Travel Shop the Coast: Cars Classifieds Dating Dining Golf Jobs Lodging Real Estate Yellow Pages Portsmouth Herald - Hampton Union - Exeter News-Letter - Dover Community News - Rockingham News - York County Coast Star - The York Weekly Tue. March 22, 2005 Advertise - Contact Info - Email Headlines - Home Delivery Specials - Place a Classified Ad - Submit Announcements - Site Map Herald Today's News Back Issues Herald Records Birth Notices Editorials Honor Rolls Obituaries Milestones Police Logs Quick Clicks Churches Club Listings Concerts Crossword Event Calendar Exhibits Legals Lottery Mortgage Rates Movie Times Site Search Theatre TV Times Weather Marketplaces Cars Classifieds Dating Dining Golf Jobs Lodging Real Estate Skiing Yellow Pages Sections Business Entertainment Health Living Maine News Online Only Public Records Sports Tourism Travel Print this Story Email this Article Arraignments set April 7 in cremation case By Beth LaMontagne blamontagne@seacoastonline.com SEABROOK - Two former state medical officials charged with falsifying cremation certificates are scheduled to be arraigned in Rockingham Superior Court next month. Gene "Geno" Nigro, a suspended assistant deputy medical examiner, and Kathrine Wieder, the chief forensic investigator for the office of the chief medical examiner, will be arraigned on April 7 on fraud charges. Nigro was indicted by a grand jury March 4 on five counts of fraudulent handling of recordable writing, a Class B felony, for allegedly certifying cremations without viewing the body. Wieder was indicted on two counts of the Class B felony, fraudulent handling of recordable writing, as well as three counts of criminal solicitation and one count of criminal suppression, both Class A misdemeanors. Wieder allegedly certified cremations without viewing the body and pressured funeral home directors not to use other medical examiners for certification. In New Hampshire, a medical examiner must view a body before a cremation and certify that there is no need for further investigation into the death. According to court documents, Wieder and Nigro allegedly signed for numerous cremations at one time, would give their certification over the phone and supply crematoriums with a stack of presigned certificates. Medical examiners are paid $35 for each cremation they certify. By allegedly insisting that funeral homes use only Wieder or Nigro’s services, Wieder was potentially creating a cremation certification monopoly along the New Hampshire Seacoast, according to Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams. Through the investigation into Nigro and Wieder, police discovered that Bayview Crematory in Seabrook was functioning without state approval. While carrying out a search warrant on Feb. 24 at Bayview, police found the decomposing body of woman, unmarked urns filled with cremains and medical waste in the Dumpster behind the building. Reams said investigators also found boxes of paperwork that could pertain to the Wieder and Nigro charges. If that is the case, said Reams, more charges could be filed. Print this Story Email this Article Back to the Portsmouth Herald Portsmouth Herald Home Delivery for 50% Off Seacoast Online is owned and operated by Seacoast Newspapers. Copyright © 2005 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved. Please read our Copyright Notice and Terms of Use. Seacoast Newspapers is a subsidiary of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., a Dow Jones Company. Featured Jobs Sponsored Links Fundraisers & Fundraising Ideas Buy U2 Tickets New York Vioxx Search Engine Marketing Discount Vacations The North Face Gourmet Gift Baskets Dell Coupons N.H. Seacoast MLS Search Julie Dufault Seacoast Realtor