A former Harvard Medical School morgue manager recently entered a plea in relation to an alleged scheme to steal and sell donated body parts.

Cedric Lodge, 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains on Wednesday before Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after "consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the federal sentencing guidelines," according to the release.

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Officials said Lodge admitted that from 2018 through at least March 2020 he participated in the sale and interstate transport of human remains stolen from the Harvard Medical School morgue in Massachusetts.

Lodge, then-manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue, removed human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads and other parts from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes, but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school, according to the release.

He took the remains to his home in New Hampshire without the permission or knowledge of his employer, the donors or donors' families.

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After he and his wife sold the remains, they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transport the remains themselves, according to the release.

Remains stolen and sold by Lodge for a profit were sent to locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

"Cedric Lodge’s criminal actions were morally reprehensible and a disgraceful betrayal of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research," Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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"While Lodge has agreed to plead guilty and taken responsibility for his crimes, this likely provides little consolation to the families impacted," Daley added. "We continue to express our deep compassion to all those affected."

Several defendants charged in related cases pleaded guilty, receiving sentences of about a year in prison.

Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing.  

The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department in Pennsylvania. 

Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is hoping to ensure that families of fallen loved ones can mourn at their gravesides on federal holidays, days they are usually closed to visitation.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is introducing legislation Thursday that would require the more than 170 cemeteries overseen by the federal government to stay open during legally recognized holidays, including Memorial Day, Christmas, Independence Day and others. 

Cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and National Parks Service are typically closed during major holidays, save for Arlington National Cemetery, which is open on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but closed for all other holidays. 

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Daines said in a statement to Fox News Digital that holidays like Memorial Day give Americans "the opportunity to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms." 

"Our national cemeteries should be open on these special days, so that family and friends can pay their respects to their loved ones," he said. "I’m proud to introduce this bill to ensure that our fallen service members can receive the tributes and honor that they deserve."

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The federal government began operating national cemeteries during the Civil War in the early 1860s to offer final resting places for fallen Union soldiers, according to the National Park Service. 

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The practice has since grown into over 170 different national cemeteries operated by three government agencies, the Department of Defense, the VA and the National Park Service. Not every state, however, has a national cemetery. 

Montana, which Daines represents in the Senate, is home to two national cemeteries: the Fort Missoula Post Cemetery and Yellowstone National Cemetery.