Jon Hallford, the co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in southern Colorado, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in federal court on Friday. He pleaded guilty last fall in connection with misusing federal pandemic relief funds in regard to his business. 

Jon Hallford's sentence will be served concurrently with El Paso County's sentence. The judge ordered restitution at more than $1 million which is broken down as follows: $193,000 to be shared by the families of victims with the Small Business Administration awarded more than $876,000.  

Jon Hallford's wife, Carie Hallford, withdrew her guilty plea in federal court earlier this year and will instead go to trial. The trial date in federal court has been scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. 

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. 

The Hallfords were charged with their alleged failure to bury or cremate the bodies of people, even though they received money for those services. 

The federal indictment arrived after the 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. Jon Hallford is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22.