A former Ohio University lab assistant was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for stealing and selling human bones owned by the university.
Weston Henri Moquin, 28-year-old, was indicted in the Southern District of Ohio Federal Court in January and pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds, according to a previous Post article.
Moquin will also be on two years of probation following the completion of his prison sentence, and will have to pay nearly $80,000 in restitution to the university. No fine was levied against Moquin by the court.
The thefts took place from November 2012 through February of last year, and the stolen materials included loose human bones, skulls, skeletons, plastinated human remains, autopsy saws and other materials that had been purchased by the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, according to court documents.
The document also states that Moquin sold the items through his eBay account, and most were shipped to customers in California, Utah and Oregon and earned him $84,684. He was also charged with felonies in California and Athens County, but the charges were dropped.
Moquin’s defense attorney Keith Yeazel asked the court to sentence Moquin to probation due to him being a “first-time, non-violent felony offender who essentially committed thefts to support his drug habit.”
"Everyone that cares about Moquin is here," said Yeazel when speaking in the court. "What's important is the correction plan for Mr. Moquin."
However, federal prosecutors found a jail sentence necessary for Moquin and determined he should serve a sentence in the "upper end" of sentencing guidelines for his offense.
“I don't really think he understands the seriousness of these offenses," Southern District of Ohio Judge Peter Economus said. "Nothing stops him. He's a threat to the community.”
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