Sentence next for Detroit-area body parts broker

DETROIT – Prosecutors are seeking a 14-year prison sentence for a Detroit-area man convicted of dealing diseased body parts for medical training.

Arthur Rathburn is returning to Detroit federal court on Monday, four months after he was convicted of fraud and shipping hazardous material.

The sale of human remains is unusual but mostly legal, especially when body parts are used for medical training. But Rathburn was accused of failing to disclose that the parts had tested positive for diseases.

No one was infected, but the government says Rathburn’s customers and airport employees were at risk. In response, Rathburn’s lawyers say his business contracts stated that a lack of disease wasn’t guaranteed.

Rathburn has been in custody for two years after his bond was revoked while awaiting trial.