A former member of UCLA's staff pleaded guilty last week to a disturbing theft crime involving donated body parts. The former chief of UCLA's cadaver program pleaded guilty Friday for his role in selling donated body parts to medical, drug and research companies in a scheme that netted up to $1 million.
Henry Reid, 58, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court to one count of conspiracy to commit grand theft, with a special allegation that he damaged or destroyed more than $1 million worth of school property, which refers to the donated bodies.
Theft and robbery crimes are an incredibly broad category, covering everything from petty theft (such as stealing a DVD from a retail shop) to grand theft (stealing large numbers of items or incredibly valuable items).
In this particular case, the items stolen were obviously out of the ordinary and quite shocking. Under a plea agreement, Reid could be sentenced to four years and four months in state prison. He also agreed to cooperate in the trial of a co-defendant and to repay $100,000 to $1 million to the program at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to a statement from the county district attorney's office.
A judge will determine the actual restitution figure, the statement said. Reid, of Anaheim, could have faced up to 11 years in prison if he had been convicted at trial.
A case such as this one can be extremely complicated. The investigation involved more than 100 search warrants and took three years. Prosecutors said Reid sold hundreds of parts of donated bodies between 1999 and 2004 to Ernest Nelson, who operated a business transporting body parts. Reid's co-defendant then resold them to more than 20 medical, drug and research companies. The men eventually were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit grand theft and one count each of grand theft and grand theft of personal property. The remaining theft counts against Reid will be dismissed at his Jan. 30 sentencing hearing as part of his plea deal.
