Posted on: Thursday, February 21, 2002

Hilo mortuary under investigation

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The state attorney general's office is investigating a complaint that a Big Island mortuary is operating without a license and reusing caskets.

State investigators with a search warrant yesterday recovered several boxes of records from Memorial Mortuary in Hilo, said Donald Wong, chief investigator with the attorney general's office. Wong said no arrests were made and neither of the company's officers, Robert and Momi Diego, was interviewed yesterday.

Wong said his office has been investigating the company for about two months.

He said a complaint was filed with his office that Memorial Mortuary was selling funeral plans and performing services without a license. Wong also said there are allegations that bodies were removed from caskets and placed in body bags for burial.

"Your guess is as good as mine as to what they do with the caskets," Wong said. He would not say who filed the original complaint.

The Diegos could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Wong said investigators will go through the boxes of records that were brought back to O'ahu. He said the investigation is "in the very early stages" and he would not say if charges would be filed.

Cemeteries and mortuaries are regulated by the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Licenses must be renewed each odd-numbered year and Memorial Mortuary in 1997 and 1999 was sent warning letters by the state for failing to maintain licensing requirements, according to department documents.

The company incorporated in 1981 as Memorial Mortuary Funeral Plan Inc. and lists Momi Diego as president and secretary, and Robert Diego as vice president and treasurer.