A former funeral home operator who sold whole bodies and body parts in a scheme defrauding families who trusted her with final arrangements was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello handed down the maximum sentence allowed through a plea agreement to Megan Hess during an all-day hearing in Grand Junction. Her mother, Shirley Koch, was also sentenced for her part as an accomplice in the body parts brokering...