The owners of a funeral home in Colorado have been indicted on federal charges for misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on personal expenses, including vacations and cosmetic surgery. The indictment also accuses them of giving families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and burying the wrong body on two occasions. The couple collected more than $130,000 from families for services they never provided. These charges add to over 200 criminal counts they already face in state court. The federal offenses carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
The couple, Jon and Carie Hallford, appeared in federal court following their arrest on state charges related to the mishandling of bodies at their funeral home. 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 upon hearing of the new charges, feeling betrayed and shocked by the revelations. Many families had thought they had laid their loved ones to rest, only to have those ashes be revealed as fake.
Prior to the indictment, public records revealed that the Hallfords were facing financial troubles, including evictions and lawsuits for unpaid services. The couple allegedly used pandemic relief funds to purchase luxury items such as vehicles, dinners, cryptocurrency, and trips to various locations. Families affected by the scandal expressed outrage at the couple’s lavish spending, knowing that the money could have been used to provide proper services to their loved ones. The Hallfords have not entered pleas to the state charges of abuse of corpse.
The couple left behind a trail of unpaid bills, unresolved disputes, and disgruntled landlords. Claims of contracts with FEMA and the Department of Defense on their business website were found to be false, and they failed to pay property taxes and face a judgment for unpaid services. The Hallfords’ actions over the past four years have caused devastation to hundreds of grieving families. The discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a storage building in Penrose highlighted the extent of their misconduct. An investigation revealed that fake ashes and cremation records were given to families, with some remains identified as dry concrete.
Concerns over the Hallfords’ business practices had been raised as early as 2020, but regulators did not follow up, allowing the collection of bodies to grow. Colorado has weak funeral home regulations, with operators not required to have a high school diploma or study mortuary science. The case has spurred lawmakers to introduce new legislation to strengthen oversight and bring the state’s regulations in line with others. The families affected by the scandal continue to grapple with the betrayal and shock of learning that their loved ones were not handled with the care and respect they deserved.
