Colorado funeral home owners, who were accused of cheating customers and misusing nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds, pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal fraud charges. The charges primarily revolve around defrauding clients, as the owners allegedly stored 190 decaying bodies in a building and provided grieving families with fake ashes.
Jon and Carie Hallford have both admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud. The judge still needs to approve the plea agreement, which states that the prosecutors will not seek a sentence of more than 15 years in prison.
The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, located just a short drive south of Denver, face a multitude of charges related to defrauding the U.S. government and their customers. While they are currently charged with 14 federal offenses, these charges will be dropped as part of a plea agreement. It is worth noting that they already have over 200 criminal counts pending against them in Colorado state court, including charges for corpse abuse and forgery.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff stated during the hearing that the plea agreement encompasses the acknowledgment of both Hallfords in relation to their involvement in COVID-19 fraud and defrauding customers. These admissions will have an impact on the sentencing process.
According to court documents, the Hallfords utilized the pandemic aid and payments from customers to purchase a GMC Yukon and Infiniti, with a combined value exceeding $120,000. They also spent the funds on laser body sculpting, indulgent trips to California, Florida, and Las Vegas, as well as luxury items from renowned stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co. Additionally, they invested $31,000 in cryptocurrency.
Jon Hallford is currently being represented by the federal public defender’s office. However, the office does not provide any comments on ongoing cases. On the other hand, Carie Hallford’s lawyer declined to comment when asked about the matter on Thursday. During the court proceedings, neither Jon Hallford nor Carie Hallford spoke except when they were asked direct questions.
Elisabeth Ostly couldn’t believe that her father’s body was part of the discovery. However, her disbelief quickly turned to shock when law enforcement officers showed up at her doorstep.
Ostly finally handed over what she had believed to be her father’s ashes for nearly a year. This action reset her grieving process and prompted her to focus on finding peace. She now seeks to let go of her anger and prevent it from consuming her every moment. Outside the courtroom, she clutched a photo of her father while wiping away tears from her eyes.
The The Associated Press conducted an investigation that revealed the Hallfords probably sent counterfeit ashes and falsified cremation records to families they served. According to court documents, some of the bags contained dry concrete instead of the actual cremated remains of their deceased loved ones.
Relatives of the deceased were devastated upon discovering that the remains of their loved ones were not present in the ashes that they had ceremonially spread or held onto. Instead, the remains were found to still be lingering in a building. These heart-wrenching stories compelled Colorado lawmakers to take action in 2024. As a result, the state’s lax funeral home regulations were amended, making routine inspections of facilities and licensing for funeral home roles mandatory.
Page then went on to describe the state of her son’s body when she found out that he was part of the tragic discovery.
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