Colorado funeral home owners accused of stashing dead bodies plead guilty to federal fraud charges

Associated Press/Report for America

DENVER (AP) — Colorado funeral home owners accused of cheating customers and misspending nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds have pleaded guilty to federal charges for defrauding clients. Jon and Carie Hallford were charged with 15 federal offenses related to defrauding the U.S. government and the funeral home’s customers. They each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are accused in a separate case of stashing 190 decaying bodies in a storage building and sending grieving families fake ashes. Court documents say the Hallfords used the pandemic aid and customers’ payments to buy expensive cars, trips and cryptocurrency.