Man Charged with Performing Funerals Without a License, Forging Death Certificate

A 27-year-old Richton Park man is charged with performing funeral services without a license as well as forging a death certificate, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

Adam Casey, 27, was arrested Jan. 3 at Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens Cemetery, 18301 S Glenwood Thornton Road, where he was performing an interment ceremony for another family, police said.

Casey is charged with forgery/deception and funeral directing without a license.

Dart said sheriff’s police began investigating in July after another funeral director reported that her name and funeral director ID number were used by someone else to file a death certificate with the County Clerk’s Office at the Markham Courthouse.

Investigators identified the alleged forger as Casey, who is from Texas but has an address in Richton Park, Dart said.

According to police, Casey also provided funeral services for the person for whom he filed the forged death certificate. Detectives also learned that although Casey has a provisional funeral director license in Texas, which essentially allows him to work as an intern, he did not have a license to perform funeral services in Illinois, Dart said.

Police said they believe Casey may have performed around a dozen funeral services last year in the Chicago area. His bond was set at $10,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25.

Dart said the public can check the status of funeral director and other professional licenses with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at www.idfpr.com.

Photo: Adam Casey (Courtesy of the Cook County Sheriff's Department)