Colorado funeral home owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges following accusations that they failed to cremate or bury nearly 200 bodies at their Return to Nature Funeral Home. The couple also admitted to misusing over $880,000 in COVID relief funds, facing up to twenty years in prison for the fraud charges. They were initially indicted on multiple wire fraud charges, which will be dismissed under their plea agreements.
The Hallfords were already facing numerous felonies in Colorado state court, including abusing corpses, theft, money laundering, and forgery. Families who hired Return to Nature also filed lawsuits against the couple. The investigation into the Hallfords began in October 2023 after reports of a foul odor near the funeral home. Authorities discovered improperly stored human remains, with about 190 bodies in various states of decomposition found inside the building.
Prosecutors revealed that the Hallfords misled families by not providing cremations or burials as promised, collecting money for services they never performed, and burying the wrong body on at least two occasions. The couple also faced charges related to fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief funds and using the money for personal purposes instead of business operations. In August, a Colorado judge ordered the Hallfords to pay approximately $950 million to 125 people who sued them in a class-action lawsuit.
Victims of the Hallfords’ actions expressed shock and horror at the discovery that their loved ones had been mistreated. The purpose of the significant payout was to hold the couple accountable, with the hope that families could petition for their earnings if the Hallfords ever have jobs in the future.
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