Kentucky Man Linked to Illegal Bone Trade Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Charge After 40 Human Skulls, Spinal Cords, Body Parts Found in His Home

A Kentucky man accused of using dozens of human skulls as decorations in his home pleaded guilty to a gun charge, according to local reports.

James Nott was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon back in July after an FBI raid of his Mount Washington, Kentucky, home, just southeast of Louisville. He was previously convicted of possession of an unregistered destructive device and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of marijuana in 2011, according to the Justice Department.

While the raid was connected to an alleged human remains trafficking ring, Nott was charged with just a firearms violation. Depending on sentencing, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

When the FBI raided his home in July, they found 40 human skills, spinal cords, femurs and hip bones, according to court documents. The skulls were allegedly used to adorn furniture in his house, and one was even found inside his mattress. 

When the agents asked Nott if anyone else lived in the home, he allegedly responded with “only my dead friends.”

In addition to the body parts, investigators found an AK-47 rifle with a loaded magazine, a loaded .38-caliber revolver, a bag of ammunition and inert grenades in Nott’s home. The raid was part of a nationwide investigation into a slew of human body parts stolen from Harvard University’s Medical School morgue.

The FBI was led to Nott through his Facebook communication with Jeremy Pauley, a Pennsylvania man who was charged with violations of conspiracy and the interstate transport of stolen goods related to the alleged trafficking of stolen body parts. Pauley was one of seven people accused of participating in the illegal body part ring.