Denver, CO – The former owner of a Colorado funeral home at the center of a gruesome corpse abuse and fraud case has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, admitting she deceived grieving families and defrauded the federal government of nearly $900,000.
Fraud and Heartbreak for Dozens of Families
Carie Hallford, who co-owned the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose alongside her husband, Jon Hallford, admitted in federal court that she accepted payments for cremations she never performed. From 2019 to 2023, nearly 200 bodies were left to rot in unrefrigerated conditions, while some families were unknowingly given dry concrete instead of ashes.
According to NBC News, the couple pocketed over $130,000 in cremation fees and funeral service payments. Additionally, they fraudulently obtained nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Federal prosecutors say that money funded luxury items, including a GMC Yukon, jewelry, vacations, laser body sculpting, and even cryptocurrency investments.
Victims Speak Out
Outside the courthouse, Crystina Page, whose son David died in 2019, shared her disappointment with the plea deal.
“We still don’t know the truth of what they’ve done to us,” Page said.
David’s body was allegedly left in an inoperable refrigerator for four years, compounding the family’s grief.
Disturbing Discovery in Penrose
The horrific truth came to light in 2023, when authorities discovered the building in Penrose filled with decomposing bodies. Investigators found corpses stacked atop each other, infestations of bugs and maggots, and so much bodily fluid on the floor it had to be pumped out.
The Hallfords are also accused of burying the wrong body twice and mishandling remains in dozens of other cases.
Legal Fallout for the Hallfords
In a separate state case, both Hallfords face 191 counts of corpse abuse. Jon Hallford has already pleaded guilty to all counts in state court and a fraud charge in federal court, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Carie Hallford faces up to 20 years in prison at her December sentencing, though prosecutors have agreed to recommend 15 years. A judge must still approve the plea deal after previously rejecting an earlier agreement.
Do you think the plea deal is fair given the scale of the abuse and fraud? Share your thoughts in the comments.
