Carie Hallford, 48, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for her involvement in a scheme where nearly 200 decomposing bodies were improperly stored.
She and her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, owned the defunct Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. The couple claimed to perform cremations for grieving families but instead hid the bodies in a building. Investigators discovered 189 human remains in varying states of decomposition following reports of a foul odor.
Carie Hallford's sentencing concludes a case that began in October 2023. Her ex-husband received a 40-year sentence in February for his role in the scheme, which included charges of abuse of a corpse, money laundering, forgery, and theft.
Both Hallfords are also ordered to pay approximately $70,000 to victims. Carie Hallford is prohibited from operating funeral homes or mortuary services following her release.
Separately, Carie Hallford had previously been sentenced to 18 years in prison for defrauding the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic small business aid. The funds were reportedly spent on luxury items and cryptocurrency instead of the funeral home.