Man Accused of Stealing $350K Worth of Skin

Salesman exploited position at hospital, say cops
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 30, 2014 4:11 PM CDT
Man Accused of Stealing $350K Worth of Skin
   (Shutterstock)

Some men steal diamonds. Some men steal art. Gary Dudek is accused of stealing something far stranger: Human skin. The 54-year-old was a salesman for Organogenesis, a Massachusetts company that sells skin grafts, and he managed accounts for Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, NBC News reports. In that role, officials say he stole more than $357,000 worth of skin since 2011, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.

Authorities say they have two surveillance videos showing Dudek taking skin grafts from the hospital to his car. The thefts took place between November 2011 and July 2013, but the hospital noticed only during a January audit. Dudek allegedly ordered 219 grafts for the hospital, without authorization, that are now missing. Police say they don't know what happened to the skin or what the motive was, but one theory is that he was trying to jack up his sales commissions. (Click to read another tale in the strange-theft category, this time involving cats.)

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