United States Federal Witness Protection Program
Mermelstein died 12 September 2008, aged 65, in Lexington, Kentucky, from cancer of the liver, lung, and bone. Since turning informant he had been living under an assumed name in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. His brief obituary was published in the "Frankfort State Journal" under his assumed name and an altered age: "Services for Wesley Barclay, 64, will be held at a later date in Florida. He died on September 12. There will be no visitation."