Co-owner of Colorado funeral home withdraws guilty plea for federal charges
One of the co-owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado has withdrawn her guilty plea to federal charges. Carie Hallford withdrew her guilty plea in federal court and will instead go to trial.
Carie Hallford is married to Jon Hallford, whose guilty plea to federal charges remained intact in connection with their business in southern Colorado.
The couple faced charges in an indictment from the federal government for allegedly misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. They each pleaded guilty to defrauding customers in October 2024.
As part of the plea agreement, Jon and Carie Hallford each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. That agreement stipulated that prosecutors will not request more than 15 years imprisonment.
This week, a federal court rejected that portion of Jon Hallford's plea agreement for the maximum sentence. Court documents state that he has accepted a new plea deal on federal fraud charges that doesn't put a cap on sentencing. Jon Hallford is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on March 20.
No trial date has been set in federal court for Carie Hallford.
The Hallfords were charged over their alleged failure to bury or cremate the bodies of people, even though they received money for those services.
The federal indictment arrived after t he investigation into the funeral home began in early October 2023 when neighbors reported a foul odor to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. Investigators discovered at least 190 improperly stored bodies inside the building, which was demolished last year.
The couple was arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023.
Jon and Carie Hallford have pleaded guilty to hundreds of state charges in Colorado including abuse of a corpse, forgery and money laundering. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on April 18.
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