If not for being hospitalized, 52-year old William “BJ” Elias might have taken his embezzling case to trial by now. But a judge will have a hearing in two weeks to assess what needs to be done next in the case against the funeral director. His lawyer said in court Thursday, Elias is out of the hospital.
Elias is accused of embezzling $136,000 from pre-paid funeral accounts at the Elias Funeral Home from 2003 to 2019. If convicted, he could be fined $25,000 and imprisoned for up to five years, in addition to having to repay the money.