Jax Beach employee guilty of stealing money marked for burial fees

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Linzy Charles Lane Jr., 46, was convicted this week of grand theft after an investigation showed he was stealing money paid to the city to bury individuals in a city-owned cemetery.

Investigators said Lane instructed funeral homes to write checks out to him, rather than the city, in the amount of $300, for each plot dug for cremated remains. He also asked funeral homes to fax their funeral order forms directly to him.

Lane collected a total of $900, which was never turned over to the city.

Lane was previously reprimanded by the City of Jacksonville Beach for conducting private business on city time. In 2011, the Director of Parks and Recreations wrote Lane a written warning for selling monuments and headstones to individuals without providing separate business cards, quotes, or receipts.

Lane will be sentenced the week of Oct. 12 and faces up to 15 years in prison.

WJAX