DENVER (AP) — Colorado funeral home owners accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds pleaded guilty to federal charges of defrauding customers.
Jon and Carie Hallford were charged with 15 federal offenses related to defrauding the U.S. government and the funeral home’s customers.
They are accused in a separate case of stashing roughly 200 decaying bodies inside their Penrose Return to Nature location and sending grieving families fake ashes. More than 200 criminal counts are already pending against them in Colorado state court, including for corpse abuse and forgery.
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Court documents say the Hallfords used the pandemic aid to buy expensive cars, trips and cryptocurrency.
Both Hallfords were in federal court in Denver on Thursday. Carie, 47, appeared in front of Judge Nina Wang first, wearing a gray blazer. She is currently out on bond.
Jon, 44, changed his plea immediately after Carie. He entered the courtroom in shackles and a Teller County Jail jumpsuit.
The Hallfords were charged by an indictment on April 10 and pleaded not guilty days later. In September, they filed dispositions to change their pleas.
The two pleaded guilty to Count 11 of the indictment, which is conspiracy to commit wire fraud — a felony offense. Their plea agreements stipulate an advisory guideline range of 78 to 97 months in prison. Prosecutors cannot ask for any more than 15 years in prison as a result of the plea.
One of the victims, Crystina Page, addressed the courtroom during both hearings. During her victim impact statement, she said the plea deal is as close to justice as they will get but considers it insufficient.
Still, hearing the Hallfords say the word "guilty" was satisfying for the victims.
"This is the first time that I think we've heard anything from them that says that they had any culpability at all in this. So, it was good to hear, a little bittersweet," Page said outside of the courthouse. “What they've taken from me was the ultimate betrayal. My son was taken from me once, and then even in the midst of that, I trusted them to handle him respectfully and with dignity afterward, and they did the very opposite of that.”
Another victim, Samantha Naranjo, said she's grateful they will not have to sit through a trial.
“I feel like it respected my grandmother's legacy a little bit, by not having to play this out in a trial," said Naranjo. "My grandmother's body was so disrespected for so long that this was probably the more respectful way about getting justice in this manner.”
Both pleas can either be accepted or denied by the judge at sentencing. A sentencing date has not yet been set, since the judge wanted to find a day that worked well for the victims in the case.
The Hallfords have another plea hearing set in El Paso County in November for the state charges. Victims expect them to also take a plea deal at that time.
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