Bones, grave robbery and jail

Back in February, Worcester Magazine (City Desk / “Dead bones come back to haunt,” Feb. 28) reported on the bizarre case of a former Athol woman who was suing a New Jersey-based biomedical company, called Biomedical Tissue Services, for the implantation of bone tissue taken from a cadaver. The operation was done at UMass Memorial Medical Center here in Worcester. On Friday, June 27, Michael Mastromarino, the so-called ringleader of a multi-million dollar operation of selling stolen body parts, was finally sentenced. The case was reported in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which reported that Mastromarino now faces 18 to 54 years behind bars. The case made local news when Bonnie Morneault sought action in the Massachusetts District Court in Worcester against a collection of defendants for damages she’s claiming arose from the implantation. According to court records, Morneault underwent surgery in 2005. The procedure included a bone transplant received from an outside source.

At the time, UMass Memorial spokesperson Alison Duffy told The Boston Herald that BTS had “sent the harvested body parts to five processors that distributed them through sub-distributors or directly to doctors and healthcare facilities, including UMass Memorial Medical Center.” Speaking to Worcester Magazine, Duffy said: “We did not know about this situation until we were told.” UMass was not cited in the case against BTS. “I don’t want to say we were victimized — we were as surprised as everyone else by the charges. We will review any and all applicable situations to ensure our procedures are not suspect,” Duffy said. The case made national news in 2001 when it was discovered that the remains of Alistair Cooke, the former host of “Masterpiece Theater,” was among the missing. Mastromarino could be eligible for parole in 15 years.

You can’t hide

In June, WPRI out of Providence reported that a former Massachusetts man, Michael DiTomasso, pleaded guilty for failing to register as a sex offender. Originally from Milford, he moved to Rhode Island in March, 2007. Two years ago a law went on the books, requiring all offenders to register. DiTomasso is the first person convicted of such a crime in R.I. In 1995 he pleaded guilty in Worcester to raping and abusing a child under the age of 16. In March, 2007, DiTomasso moved to Woonsocket and did not register. He will be sentenced in October and federal prosecutors say he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years. o

All information taken from public records, published accounts and court proceedings.