The owners of a Colorado funeral home, Jon and Carie Hallford, were indicted on federal charges for misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on personal expenses like vacations, cosmetic surgery, and jewelry. The indictment also accused them of giving families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and burying the wrong body on two occasions. In addition, they collected over $130,000 from families for services they never provided. These charges are in addition to more than 200 criminal counts pending against the Hallfords in Colorado state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft, and forgery.
The federal charges potentially carry penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The couple appeared in court wearing shackles and were argued to be a flight risk by federal prosecutors, as they had fled to Oklahoma when the decaying bodies were first discovered. Families who had trusted the funeral home with their loved ones’ remains were further distressed by the new charges and accusations. The indictment also revealed that the Hallfords had been facing financial problems, including evictions and lawsuits for unpaid cremations.
Court documents from the state abuse of corpse case showed that the couple spent the misappropriated funds on a vehicle, dinners, child’s tuition, cryptocurrency, and luxury items from retailers like Gucci and Tiffany & Co. They had also purchased expensive vehicles and taken trips to various locations. The Hallfords had deceived landlords, business partners, and families by not paying bills, forging documents, and providing fake ashes with fabricated cremation records. The discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a storage facility exposed their deceptions.
The Hallfords’ fraudulent activities over the past four years devastated grieving family members who thought they had laid their loved ones to rest at the Return to Nature Funeral Home. The discovery of the decaying bodies in a bug-infested storage building in Penrose, Colorado, raised concerns about the funeral home’s improper storage practices. However, despite these concerns, regulators failed to follow up on the issues, allowing the accumulation of bodies to grow over the years. The investigation by Associated Press revealed that the Hallfords likely provided fake ashes and falsified cremation records to families, leading to distress and further distrust.
The funeral home’s lack of ethical practices and the Hallfords’ lies, money laundering, forgery, and manipulation came to light as families sought closure for their lost loved ones. The revelations about the misappropriation of funds and deceptive practices by the Hallfords have caused immense distress and emotional turmoil for families who relied on the funeral home’s services. Moving forward, the legal proceedings against the Hallfords will determine accountability and justice for the families affected by their actions. The case has also exposed the weaknesses in funeral home regulations in Colorado, highlighting the need for stronger oversight and accountability in the industry.
