DOUGLAS, Ga. (WSAV) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has made another arrest in the ongoing investigation of the Johnson Funeral Home.
On Sunday, December 8, GBI arrested and charged James A. Sirmans, 52, with two counts of Insurance Fraud and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, John F. King, secured the warrants, which stem from the 2023 investigation into an attempt by Sirmans to fraudulently obtain additional life insurance proceeds by altering the cause of death on a death certificate in 2022.
King has also charged Chris Johnson with Theft by Deception, Forgery, Submitting Fraudulent Vital Records, Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud, and two counts of Insurance Fraud. The GBI also charged Johnson with Theft by Taking and six counts of Violation of Vital Records Registration. These charges follow the continued investigation into the remains found in his funeral home and his related business practices.
Johnson was charged with 17 counts of abuse of dead body back in October.
Sirmans was taken into custody With the assistance of the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Coffee County Jail. He has since been released on bond.
Johnson remains in custody at the Coffee County Jail.
The GBI has identified an additional 4 of the 18 remains found at Johnson Funeral Home on October 26, 2024. The families of the identified remains have been made aware of this and GBI has provided them with the information for them to finalize arrangements for their loved ones.
The GBI will not release any of their names out of respect for the families' privacy during their period of mourning.
The GBI will continue its work to identify the other 2 remains that were found. The GBI Crime Lab is continuing to evaluate the remains that have been turned over to determine if they are human remains. The Bureau also continues its work to verify all cremation information and whether cremains were sent to the correct families.
The Criminal Investigations Division of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance John F. King will continue to assist the GBI with investigating any irregularities in insurance proceeds.