Ex-owner of Texas Mortuary Gets Prison for Food Stamp Fraud

DALLAS (AP) — The ex-owner of an abandoned North Texas mortuary where bodies were found unattended must serve nearly two years in prison for food stamp fraud.

Rachel Hardy-Johnson of Mansfield was sentenced Tuesday in Dallas.

Hardy-Johnson in January pleaded guilty to illegally receiving federal benefits. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison and must repay more than $76,000.

Prosecutors say the woman got married in 2010 but continued claiming to be a single parent with no income. Authorities say Hardy-Johnson owned two businesses and expensive vehicles.

Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth closed last July due to nonpayment of rent. Several bodies at the business were in advanced stages of decomposition.

Hardy-Johnson and her husband, Dondre Johnson, await trial on state charges of theft and abuse of a corpse.