In an unsettling revelation, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against the owners of two Woodland-based funeral homes, Kraft Brothers Funeral Directors and McNary’s Chapel. The owners, Paul and Lailene Wiggins, are accused of overcharging families for burial services and unintentionally receiving around $500,000 by doing so over a span of four years. This was announced yesterday, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
The alleged fraudulent practices range from inflating costs for various categories, including crematory and refrigeration fees, to falsifying sales tax. Each transaction, except for three, contained a law violation, according to the District Attorney's complaint, which also accuses the couple of including false information on death certificates. As their customers sought solace in the wake of loss, they were also to navigate the trickery of exaggerated fees—a harrowing experience no person should bear during such times of vulnerability.
Customers like Shelli Lara felt something was amiss amidst their grief. Lara, whose mother died in July 2022, described interactions with McNary's funeral services as outrageous and enraging, telling CBS13 that "Something was off, but I was in such a haze going through grief and trying to plan my mom's funeral that I wasn't understanding what was happening." The lawsuit further alleges that the Wiggins ignored customer complaints of overcharging.
Furthermore, the lawsuit accuses owner Lailene Villaret Wiggins, who is also a licensed life insurance agent, of failing to honor the terms of pre-need contracts and "allowing defendants to effectively steal from decedents while overcharging their survivors," as stated by CBS13. The Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity has expressed that the actions uncovered are shocking and the office is committed to pursuing restitution for the impacted families as well as seeking an injunction to prevent the Wiggins from deceiving any more victims.
The lawsuit has been filed civilly, meaning the couple will likely not face criminal charges due to the nature of the investigation which began civilly. Nevertheless, the District Attorney's office has forwarded its complaint to the California Department of Consumer Affairs Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, which has the authority to revoke the licenses for both funeral homes. Currently, both McNary Chapel and Kraft Brothers Funeral Directors continue to operate, with the Wiggins still holding their respective licenses, according to online records.
