State officials have refused to reinstate the license for a former funeral director in Iowa who’s living in Minnesota now.
In 2006, Vernon Cooper pled guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal authorities and he was sent to prison for 46 months. Cooper is out of jail now, working as a used car salesman in Rochester, Minnesota, but Cooper says he’s “been approached by numerous Minnesota funeral home directors to work for them.” Cooper wanted his Iowa license back, because he could earn double the salary at a funeral home if he’s licensed.
The Iowa Board of Mortuary Science has decided it “would not be appropriate to license” Cooper while he’s on probation. He can reapply once his five-year’s worth of probation is over, but there’s no guarantee the board will grant Cooper a license to operate as a funeral home director.