Dead Reckoning
Donald Foshee's complaints about his mother's burial led to Clayton Smart's arrest and the uncovering of an audacious scam that allegedly turned cemeteries into buried treasure by cheating tens of thousands of elderly people out of up to $80 million.
Grave Consequences
Investigators say Clayton Smart was aided in his grand larceny by financiers, including an executive at Deutsche Bank and, later, Citigroup, and by regulators who were captivated by rumors that he had a personal fortune of millions.
False Front
Erma Huckstep's trailer in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Huckstep was a key to unraveling the scandal, according to investigators. But she says she was tricked into serving as a front for Clayton Smart.
Battle Ground
Forest Hill East Cemetery, in Memphis. Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park ran the Tennessee cemeteries owned by Smart. As they dug further into the matter, Tennessee officials alerted Michigan authorities.
Plot Twist
Woodmere Cemetery, in Detroit. Law-enforcement officials say Clayton Smart and his partners looted trusts that were meant to pay for future burial plots in this cemetery and others.
"A Place to be Buried"
Mercedes and Blaine Gray paid for plots in Woodmere Cemetery, in Detroit. But they fear they won't be buried because of Clayton Smart. "I paid for our funerals so that our children wouldn't have to think about it," Mercedes said.
Back to: A Swindle to Die For
