Funeral homeowner accused of embezzling funds pleads not guilty in court

A Connecticut funeral homeowner, accused of taking money from his clients and using it for gambling, and other personal expenses, appeared in court on Tuesday.

In court, Philip Pietras pleaded not guilty to the current charge of first-degree larceny, which he was arrested for in April.

Vernon police confirmed to NBC Connecticut Tuesday that they are investigating more than 40 complaints against Pietras Family Funeral Homes dating back 10 to 15 years, in conjunction with law enforcement in Coventry, East Windsor, the state’s attorney and Connecticut State Police.

Connecticut State Police tells us that from May 15 through June 2, a total of 15 fraud investigations have taken place, which are active and ongoing.

More people are coming forward saying their pre-paid funeral funds with Pietras Family Funeral home are gone.

"It's mind boggling,” Galen Beaupre, of Vernon, said.

Beaupre and his wife, Sandy, say they paid $20,000 for their funeral in 2024. But, when they heard the allegations against Pietras, they looked into where that money was going.

“That's when we realized we were in trouble,” said Beaupre. “We called Chicago to see if they ever got any money, and they never did,” he said.

NBC Connecticut obtained documentation confirming the Beaupre’s original receipt with Pietras, as well as a document from the Access Financial Group / Interment Trust Services confirming they never received the money.

“Our system shows no record of accounts in these names,” the documentation reads.

The couple tells us they filed a police report. Vernon Police confirmed that information to NBC Connecticut.

After Pietras' court appearance, John O’Brien, Pietras’ attorney, told us he didn’t have any comment.

"We don't have any comment. It's an ongoing investigation. Thank you very much,” said O’Brien.

We did ask about the new victims alleging they have been defrauded too, but the question wasn’t acknowledged.

Carmon Community Funeral Homes is working with several former clients of Pietras who have concerns about their funds.

"We have a number of people that are in their 80s or 90s and they don’t have the time to start over,” said Timothy Carmon, of Carmon Family Funeral Homes.

The state met today for a hearing about Pietras’s suspended embalmer’s license. Pietras asked for it to be postponed, which it was until July, so his embalmer’s license is still suspended.

Pietras is due back in court on August 1.