A Colorado Springs, Colorado couple who authorities claim abandoned nearly 200 bodies in a building infested with maggots and flies, faces additional charges after allegedly spending more than $880,000 in COVID relief funds on vacations, cosmetic surgery and other personal expenses.
Jon Hallford and his wife, Carie Hallford, owned the Back to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs and had been facing 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, five counts of theft, four counts of money laundering and over 50 counts of forgery.
An indictment unsealed on Monday alleged the Hallfords used $882,300 in COVID pandemic relief funds to buy items for themselves, including cars, dinners, cryptocurrency and tuition for their child.
The 15 federal offenses carry potential penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, according to the indictment.
Between March 2020 and October 2021, prosecutors claim, Jon and Carie fraudulently obtained three loans.
A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home on Oct. 5, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of the Colorado funeral home where 190 decaying bodies were found, are set to appear in court on Dec. 5, facing allegations that they abused corpses, stole, money laundered and forged documents. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP, File)
In previously released court documents regarding the abuse of corpse case, more details were revealed about what the Hallfords used the money for.
They allegedly purchased a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti with a combined worth of over $120,000.
The couple also took trips to California, Florida and Las Vegas, purchased $31,000 in cryptocurrency, shopped at luxury retailers like Tiffany & Co. and Gucci, and paid for laser body sculpting, court documents allege.
COLORADO FUNERAL HOME OWNERS FACE CHARGES AFTER DISCOVERY OF 190 DECOMPOSING BODIES
Pictured here are the mugshots of Jon Hallford, left, and Carie Hallford, right, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home. (Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
FBI agent Andrew Cohen testified in February that the money – which they received as an adjustment to a pandemic-era small business loan – used to buy the Yukon was obtained fraudulently after Jon lied and said he was not behind on child support payments.
The court documents reaffirm accusations from state prosecutors that the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FOX News : U.S.…