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Delco man accused of stealing human skin to face trial

Attorney: Nothing "gruesome" or "nefarious" about it.

A DELAWARE COUNTY man, arrested in May for allegedly stealing $357,000 worth of human skin from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, will get a chance to explain himself in a trial.

Gary Dudek, 54, of Wallingford, showed up in court yesterday but waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Municipal Judge Nazario Jimenez Jr. then ordered him to stand trial on two counts of theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with records.

His attorney, Eugene Tinari, said he had begun discussions with the District Attorney's Office in hopes of reaching a resolution before trial.

"We're exploring all of our options. No commitments have been made by either side," Tinari said. He said the allegations about his client are not as gruesome as some may think.

"There's been too much made over what in reality is a routine case involving an allegation of theft," he said. "The only reason that this has drawn interest from the media is because, somehow, based on the nature of the items that were allegedly stolen, they were somehow used for something gruesome or nefarious. That's just not the case here."

He said the criminal charges arose from a misunderstanding between Dudek and his former employer, Organogenesis, a Massachusetts firm that specializes in regenerative medicine.

From September 2006 to September 2013, Dudek worked for the company as a tissue-regeneration specialist, or a sales representative, before he was fired.

Assistant District Attorney Rashonda Holmes declined to discuss the case.

Dudek was arrested May 26 and was released the next day after posting bail.

Dudek's job allowed him to order skin grafts whenever he needed, according to court records. The hospital only needed three in stock at a time, but Dudek ordered an unauthorized 219 - valued at $1,700 each - which the hospital never saw, the records say.