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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Jesse Bedayn

Funeral home owners accused of storing bodies and sending fake ashes set to plead guilty to Covid fraud

This combination of booking photos provided by the Muskogee County, Okla., Sheriff's Office shows Jon Hallford, left, and Carie Hallford, owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home - (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Funeral home owners accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds and living lavishly, all while allegedly stashing 190 decaying bodies in a building and sending grieving families fake ashes, are expected to plead guilty to federal charges on Thursday.

Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home about an hour's drive south of Denver, have been charged with 15 federal offenses related to defrauding the U.S. government and the funeral home's customers. Additionally, over 200 criminal counts are already pending against them in Colorado state court, including for corpse abuse and forgery.

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