Colorado, USA — A Colorado funeral home owner accused of hiding nearly 190 decomposing bodies and defrauding the U.S. government of almost $900,000 is expected to plead guilty in federal court, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Carie Hallford, who operated Return to Nature Funeral Home alongside her husband, Jon Hallford, allegedly scammed the federal Small Business Administration out of pandemic relief funds and cheated grieving families by taking payments for cremations that were never performed.
Instead of providing the services, prosecutors say the couple used the money on luxury cars, cryptocurrency, and expensive goods from brands like Gucci — while keeping bodies in a room-temperature building and sending fake ashes to families.
Jon Hallford already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison. Carie Hallford, who previously pleaded not guilty, is now scheduled to change her plea in early August, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado confirmed.
Her attorney, Robert Charles Melihercik, declined to comment on the development.
HORRIFIC DISCOVERY
The scandal came to light in 2023, when authorities searched the Penrose, Colorado facility — about two hours south of Denver — and discovered 191 bodies piled on top of each other, surrounded by insects and bodily fluids covering the floor.
Many families were devastated to learn their loved ones’ remains had been left to decay for years, some since 2019, while they were given fake ashes.
In a separate state case, both Jon and Carie Hallford face 191 counts of abusing a corpse, as well as allegations of burying the wrong bodies in at least two instances.
Federal prosecutors say the couple’s fraud and neglect stretched over four years, shocking the community and leaving dozens of families traumatised.
Carie Hallford is expected to enter her guilty plea in federal court in early August.
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