A Philly company took more than $19,000 from grieving families but didn’t provide headstones, Pa. AG says

A Northeast Philadelphia monument company took more than $19,000 from grieving families, then never delivered headstones for the grave sites of customers’ deceased loved ones, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office.

The company, All American Monuments Inc., and its owner, Nancy Jelassi, left customers waiting for years and refused to provide refunds, the commonwealth alleges.

“Ms. Jelassi and her company took advantage of grieving Pennsylvanians, making tragic circumstances that much harder for families who were not able to provide proper burial services for their loved ones,” Henry said in a statement.

At least 23 Pennsylvanians were impacted, an attorney general’s spokesperson said Monday afternoon, citing the number of complaints received to date. The lawsuit details the experiences of eight customers who reported to the state that they paid deposits, ranging from $600 to more than $4,000, for engraved monuments they have not received. The state did not name anyone impacted.

“My mom lays in the grave for almost three years like [an] unknown soul,” a Feasterville woman wrote to the state Bureau of Consumer Protection, which is overseen by the attorney general. She said she paid a deposit of more than $1,300 for a stone in March 2020. “This situation breaks my heart and harms my health. I can’t sleep because I could not finalize this grieving process and fulfill my obligation to my mother.”

One Lehigh County customer wrote in their complaint that they paid a deposit of $2,500 for a monument after both their parents died of coronavirus complications in January 2021. They said they ordered the monument two months later, and the company promised it would be delivered by September. The customer still has not received it or gotten a refund.

“Within our Jewish faith, we need to secure a monument at the grave site by one year in order to do complete the traditional death practices,” the customer wrote. “I’m deeply saddened that I was not able to fulfill my parents’ traditions. This is an unacceptable practice taking advantage of people in grief.”

Others wrote that their inquiries were met with promises that their headstones would soon be completed and that their requests for refunds were denied. Sometimes, customers said, the company stopped communicating with them completely.

Neither All American Monuments — which still has a website but has ceased operations, according to the lawsuit — nor Jelassi returned requests for comment Monday. When The Inquirer called the phone number listed on the company website, it was answered by someone who identified the business as a towing company.

In March, Jelassi told 6ABC that the company she orders from was “giving [her] the runaround,” while officials with that company told the station Jelassi owed them $50,000. At the time, Jelassi promised to refund one customer more than $1,300.

She also told the commonwealth that she wanted to refund customers who did not receive their orders, though she has so far failed to do so, according to the suit.

The state is requesting that All American Monuments and Jelassi pay full restitution to affected customers, as well as civil penalties and court fees.

If anyone else feels victimized by All American Monuments, the attorney general’s office asks that they file a complaint with its consumer protection bureau by calling 800-441-2555 or visiting attorneygeneral.gov.