Funeral home operator indicted on charges of concealing assets and f...

Eunice Roper-Allen, of the Allen Funeral Home, who was indicted last month in the Central District of Illinois, has entered a not guilty plea to charges that she concealed assets in her bankruptcy case and defrauded a funeral home client by falsifying a decedent's funeral expenses.

In the three bankruptcy-related counts, the indictment charges Roper-Allen with concealing two bank accounts, a van and real estate located in Michigan.  The defendant is also charged with failing to disclose a 2005 judgment against her in the approximate amount of $70,000.

In other charges, Roper-Allen is accused of committing mail fraud in a scheme to defraud a customer of $44,000.  According to the indictment, Roper-Allen advised the customer to deposit into Roper-Allen's account $84,000 that belonged to a deceased relative in order to circumvent probate proceedings.  Roper-Allen later returned $40,000 together with falsified checks and receipts of fake funeral expenses to account for the difference.