The owners of a Colorado funeral home, Jon and Carie Hallford, were indicted on federal charges for misusing nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, cosmetic surgery, jewelry, and other personal expenses. The indictment also reaffirmed accusations that the couple gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and buried the wrong body on two occasions. Additionally, they collected over $130,000 from families for services they never provided. The federal charges carry potential penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
The Hallfords, who also face over 200 criminal counts in Colorado state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft, and forgery, appeared in a federal courtroom bound in shackles. The prosecutor argued that they were a flight risk, as they had fled to Oklahoma when the decaying bodies were first discovered. Families who had entrusted their loved ones to the funeral home expressed anguish over the new charges, with some discovering that the ashes they had received were not actually their loved ones.
Prior to the indictment, public records showed the Hallfords were facing financial difficulties, including evictions and lawsuits for unpaid services, while spending extravagantly on themselves. The couple used pandemic relief funds to buy items such as vehicles, dinners, tuition, and cryptocurrency, among other expenses. Court documents from the state case revealed additional details about their spending habits, including trips and shopping at luxury retailers.
The Hallfords failed to pay property taxes, accumulated unpaid bills, and faced judgments for services they did not pay for. Despite claiming to have contracts with FEMA and the Department of Defense, both agencies denied any affiliation with the funeral home. The Hallfords’ actions over the past four years left a trail of devastation for grieving families who were misled, defrauded, and manipulated by the couple.
The discovery of 190 decaying bodies in the funeral home storage building in Penrose, Colorado, led to revelations that the Hallfords likely provided fake ashes and fabricated cremation records to families. Families learned that the ashes they had received were not their loved ones’ remains, with court documents alleging that some were dry concrete. Despite concerns raised about improper body storage as early as 2020, regulators did not follow up, allowing the situation to escalate over the following years.
The Hallfords’ case, along with other similar incidents, prompted Colorado lawmakers to introduce legislation to strengthen oversight of funeral homes. The new rules aim to bring the state’s regulations in line with or exceed those of other states, as Colorado currently has some of the weakest funeral home regulations in the country. The bills are currently progressing through the state Legislature as a response to the egregious actions of the Hallfords and the need for improved oversight in the industry.
