Funeral Home Owners Accused of Fraudulent Use of Pandemic Relief Funds
The owners of a Colorado funeral home have been accused of diverting nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds to personal expenses, including holidays, cosmetic surgery, jewelry, and cryptocurrency.
The Indictment
Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Return To Nature Funeral Home, now face 15 federal charges alleging the misuse of funds. The indictment claims they spent the money on:
- Two vehicles (GMC Yukon and Infiniti) worth over $120,000
- Trips to California, Florida, and Las Vegas
- $31,000 in cryptocurrency
- Laser body sculpting
- Luxury goods from Gucci and Tiffany & Co.
The Initial Investigation
The Hallfords already face over 200 criminal charges related to the discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested storage building last year. These charges include corpse abuse, money laundering, theft, and forgery.
Shocking Discovery
The discovery of the bodies, some dating back to 2019, shocked Colorado, which has weak funeral home regulations. Despite concerns about improper storage dating back to 2020, regulators failed to act, leading to the accumulation of bodies.
Failure to Provide Services
The Hallfords are accused of collecting money for burials and cremations they never provided. They also allegedly gave families concrete instead of cremated ashes and buried the wrong body on two occasions.
Federal Charges
The federal charges allege that the Hallfords fraudulently obtained $882,300 in pandemic relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program. They are accused of making false statements to the Small Business Administration to qualify for the loans.
Prosecution’s Concerns
The prosecution argued that the Hallfords are a flight risk, having fled to Oklahoma last October after the decaying bodies were found. They were arrested on state charges in November. The judge is yet to decide on their release pending trial.
Reaction from Victims
Families of the deceased have been devastated by the news of the charges. “You just broke my heart reading that indictment,” said Abby Swoveland, whose mother’s body was among those found. “We are all paying that. I am glad he is going to be answering to that.”
Additional Charges
The Hallfords also face state charges, including:
- 10 counts of wire fraud for failing to bury or cremate bodies
- 13 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting
- 2 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Sentencing
If convicted of the federal charges, the Hallfords could face up to 20 years in prison, fines of up to $250,000, and supervised release. They could also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims.