Avoid being scammed: How to verify license before hiring funeral director, mortician

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The Executive Director for the Texas Funeral Service Commission confirmed to KPRC 2 that the Houston area pair that posed as licensed funeral directors and tried to scam a woman out of thousands of dollars are not actually licensed.

During an interview with KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun, the executive director on TFSC, James White, shared his feelings on Javian Major and Sandy Broussard’s arrests.

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Major and Broussard were recently arrested for fabricating about being licensed funeral directors, according to Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen.

Multiple people have since claimed to have been targeted by the pair.

To verify if a funeral director is licensed, White said there’s a public verification website where customers can check before hiring a funeral service.

• ORIGINAL STORY: ‘His body was bloated’: Man posed as funeral director, mortician, allegedly stole life insurance money of dead people

Q&A with White:

Rilwan: When did you first become aware of Javian Major?

White: This summer we received very concerning calls from consumers. When we looked into this, we found out it was unlicensed behavior. The more we looked into it, we saw that it was definitely potentially criminal in nature.

Rilwan: Are Javian Major and Sandy Broussard licensed in the state of Texas as funeral directors?

White: They are not licensed funeral directors in the state of Texas.

Rilwan: Are they licensed embalmers in the state of Texas?

White: Neither are licensed embalmers.

Rilwan: Do they have any license or registry as funeral directors in the state of Texas?

White: Not that I’m aware of.

Rilwan: So, when you heard about their arrests, what was going through your head about the investigation and just where things currently stand?

White: We are glad and very elated. Very grateful for Constable Alan Rosen’s Office, his leadership, and the very detailed work of Lieutenant Christopher and most importantly, their compassion for these victims. These people have been victimized and have been victimized at a very vulnerable time in their life, losing a loved one, losing a father, mother, or son. We’re glad the wheels of justice are finally turning for these victims.