The use of unclaimed bodies for medical study is examined in the series Dealing the Dead, which includes this article.
LAS VEGAS Obteen Nassiri needed to pursue a different career path. Following accusations that he had scammed insurers out of millions of dollars and misled patients, he lost his license as a chiropractor and entered the murky U.S. body trade, which had almost no regulations or barriers to entrance.
Nassiri’s new business, Med Ed Labs, operated out of a beige strip mall in Las Vegas between a tattoo parlor and a psychic. It bought corpses from funeral homes and medical schools and then sold or leased them at a premium to organizations, such as the US military, that needed human remains for medical training.
He established a nationwide network of clients and suppliers in a matter of years. In addition, he left a trail of controversy and accusations of unethical behavior, such as handling human remains improperly.
For example, a university voiced worry in 2023 after Nassiri failed to return almost 20 feet. Or when he delivered the remnants in filthy, crumbling containers, one of which was compared to scrap cardboard. Or when he provided the body of a World War II soldier for a public event where people paid $500 to witness it being dissected in a hotel ballroom, which infuriated the man’s relatives.
At the time, his widow told NBC News that she didn’t anticipate her husband’s body being displayed like a performing bear or anything when she gave it to Med Ed Labs.
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