Colorado Funeral Home Owners Plead Guilty to Pandemic Aid Fraud Amid Claims of Fake Ashes and Decomposing Bodies

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Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges related to their alleged misuse of pandemic relief funds and customer payments. The couple is accused of spending nearly $900,000 in relief funds on personal luxuries, including vehicles, designer items, and vacations, while leaving over 190 bodies decomposing in their facility, according to court documents. This facility, located about an hour south of Denver, became the focus of a federal investigation after the bodies were discovered in conditions that horrified families and state officials alike.
The Hallfords pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors, per the plea agreement, are limited to requesting no more than a 15-year prison sentence, though the agreement awaits final approval by a judge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff stated that the plea deal encompasses both the Hallfords' acknowledgment of COVID-19 relief fraud and additional fraud perpetrated against their customers.
According to court filings, the Hallfords diverted funds intended for business expenses during the pandemic toward a lavish lifestyle. Purchases reportedly included a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 collectively, cryptocurrency investments of $31,000, body sculpting services, trips to California, Florida, and Las Vegas, and luxury items from brands like Gucci and Tiffany & Co.
"These funds were supposed to support struggling businesses during the pandemic, not to fuel extravagant personal spending," noted Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff, highlighting the gravity of the Hallfords' actions.
The grim conditions discovered at Return to Nature Funeral Home extended beyond financial misconduct. An investigation following last year’s discovery revealed bodies stacked haphazardly, some reportedly in place since 2019. In some instances, the wrong bodies were buried, and the remains provided to grieving families often included fake ashes made of dry concrete. The Associated Press reported that the Hallfords fabricated cremation records, leaving families devastated upon learning that their loved ones had never been properly handled.
Crystina Page, a mother whose son’s body was left decomposing in the Hallfords’ facility, expressed her anguish during the court hearing, stating, “My son was one of those victims; he lost 60% of his body weight.” She painfully recounted the conditions she believed he endured, saying, “Rats and maggots ate his face.” Page expressed her frustration with the limited plea deal but acknowledged it was “as close to justice as [she] was going to get.”
The federal indictment added to an extensive list of charges already pending against the Hallfords in Colorado state court, where they face more than 200 counts related to corpse abuse and forgery. Meanwhile, Jon Hallford’s defense is being handled by the federal public defender’s office, which has not commented on the case. Attempts to reach Carie Hallford’s legal team were unsuccessful, and her attorney in state proceedings, Michael Stuzynski, declined to provide further comments.
The disturbing details emerging from the Hallfords’ case prompted Colorado lawmakers to reevaluate and reform state funeral home regulations in 2024. New laws now require routine inspections and mandatory licensing for funeral home operators, a move motivated by the stories of families who, like Crystina Page, had their final goodbyes to loved ones turned into moments of anguish and loss.
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