Current:Home > ScamsOwners of Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 bodies were found charged with COVID fraud -Momentum Wealth Path
Owners of Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 bodies were found charged with COVID fraud
View
Date:2025-04-13 22:29:12
The owners of a Colorado Springs funeral home have been indicted on federal charges including fraud related to COVID relief funds. Authorities say they failed to cremate or bury at least 190 bodies they were paid to handle dating back to at least 2019, according to court documents unsealed Monday.
Jon and Carie Hallford, who owned Return to Nature Funeral Home in the Penrose area of Colorado Springs, were indicted on 15 charges brought by a federal grand jury in Colorado District Court. The indictment brought back previous accusations that the Hallfords gave families dry concrete instead of ashes, collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burials they never performed and buried the wrong body on at least two occasions.
The new charges are in addition to the hundreds of felonies the Hallfords are already facing in Colorado, including misspending pandemic relief funds, abusing corpses, theft, money laundering and forgery. They are also facing lawsuits from many of the families that hired Return to Nature.
The federal offenses can bring potential penalties of $250,000 in fines and 20 years in prison, according to the court documents.
Couple charged:Nearly 200 bodies removed from Colorado funeral home accused of improperly storing bodies
What happened at Return to Nature Funeral Home?
Authorities began investigating the Colorado funeral home in October 2023 after neighbors reported the putrid smell of decaying bodies, which investigators say Jon Hallford falsely attributed to his taxidermy hobby.
The EPA has concluded the building itself is too full of "biohazards" to ever be reused, and has scheduled an estimated 10-day demolition to begin Wednesday.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Seattle police officer heard joking about woman's death reassigned to 'non-operational position'
- Aaliyah explains leaving 'Love is Blind,' where she stands with Lydia and Uche
- Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice refuses to disclose names of others looking at impeachment
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Police arrest suspect weeks after brutal attack of 13-year-old at a McDonald's in Los Angeles
- Truck gets wedged in tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn after ignoring warnings
- Red Sox say Tim Wakefield is in treatment, asks for privacy after illness outed by Schilling
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Jawlene, Jawlene! Florida alligator missing top jaw gets punny Dolly Parton name
Ranking
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Texas couple arrested for jaguar cub deal in first case charged under Big Cat Public Safety Act
- Guitarist Al Di Meola suffers heart attack on stage while performing but is now in stable condition
- Best and worst performances after a memorable first month of the college football season
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- How Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift Influenced the Condiment Industry
- Louisiana citrus farmers are seeing a mass influx of salt water that could threaten seedlings
- Six young activists suing 32 countries for failing to address climate change
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Trump asks judge in Jan. 6 case for 2-month extension to file pretrial motions
Suspect Captured in Murder of Tech CEO Pava LaPere
Baton Rouge police reckon with mounting allegations of misconduct and abuse
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Maralee Nichols Gives Look at Tristan Thompson’s Son Theo Reading Bedtime Book
Rep. Mary Peltola's husband was ferrying more than 500 pounds of moose meat, antlers during fatal plane crash
Dolphins, Eagles or 49ers: Who will be last undefeated NFL team standing?