190 decaying bodies were found at a Colorado funeral home. Owners charged with COVID fraud of $880K

DENVER (AP) — The couple who owned a Colorado funeral home — where 190 decaying bodies were discovered last year — have been indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government, according to court documents unsealed Monday.

The new federal charges against Jon and Carie Hallford add to charges in Colorado state court for abusing corpses. The 15 fraud charges filed against each of the Hallfords carry potential penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, according to the indictment.

The Hallfords didn’t have attorneys listed yet for the federal charges.

Michael Stuzynski, the attorney representing Carie Hallford on state charges declined to comment on the case over the phone. Jon Hallford’s attorney for state charges works for the public defenders office, which does not comment on cases.

The couple have not yet entered pleas to the state’s abuse of corpse charges.

Even before the new indictment was unsealed, public records revealed that the Hallfords had been plagued by debt, facing evictions and lawsuits for unpaid cremations even as they spent lavishly.

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