Colorado funeral home co-owners where 190 improperly stored bodies found plead guilty to federal fraud charges
The Return to Nature Funeral Home co-owners appeared in federal court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to federal charges of defrauding customers. Jon and Carie Hallford faced charges in an indictment from the federal government for allegedly misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.
As part of the plea agreement, Jon and Carie Hallford each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. That agreement stipulates that prosecutors will not request more than 15 years imprisonment and still needs to be approved by the judge.
The Hallfords have each been charged with 10 counts of wire fraud over their alleged failure to bury or cremate bodies of people, even though they received money for those services. The Hallfords have also been accused of making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration in their efforts to qualify for three separate loans totaling $882,300.
The couple used the money from the government and customers' payments to buy a GMC Yukon and Infiniti that together were worth over $120,000, laser body sculpting, trips to California, Florida and Las Vegas, $31,000 in cryptocurrency and luxury items at stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co., according to court documents.
The federal indictment arrived after the investigation into the funeral home began in early October 2023 when neighbors reported a foul odor to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. Investigators discovered 190 improperly stored bodies inside the building which was demolished earlier this year.
The couple was arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023.
Jon and Carie Hallford are facing hundreds of state charges in Colorado including abuse of a corpse, forgery and money laundering.