Colorado funeral home owners are set to plead guilty to federal charges after being accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, face 15 federal offenses related to defrauding the U.S. government and customers. They are also facing over 200 criminal counts in Colorado state court, including charges of corpse abuse and forgery.
The Hallfords allegedly used pandemic aid and customer payments for personal expenses, including luxury vehicles, trips, cryptocurrency, and high-end items from stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co. The federal charges could result in up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Last year, authorities discovered 190 decaying bodies in a building owned by Return to Nature Funeral Home. The bodies were reportedly stacked on top of each other, and in some cases, the wrong bodies were buried. Families who did business with the funeral home were shocked to learn that the ashes they received may have been fake, with some bags containing dry concrete instead of cremated remains.
The revelations prompted Colorado lawmakers to tighten funeral home regulations, requiring routine inspections of facilities and licensing for funeral home roles. The investigation into the Hallfords' actions has shed light on the need for stricter oversight in the industry to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
