Trending Now - Former Funeral Home Owner Receives 18-year Prison Sentence

WHO:

Carie Hallford, 48, former owner of a Colorado funeral home

Jon Hallford, Carie Hallford's ex-husband

U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang

Robert Charles Melihercik, Carie Hallford's lawyer

Adam Steigerwald, lawyer for Jon Hallford in state court

Laura Suelau, lawyer for Jon Hallford in federal court

Victims including Kelly Schloesser, Elizabeth Gannon, Emma Williams, and Crystina Page

WHAT:

Carie Hallford was sentenced to 18 years in prison on a federal fraud charge

She took over $130,000 from families for funeral services, including cremations

Hallford provided urns filled with concrete mix instead of ashes

Investigators found the wrong body buried in two cases

Hallford and her ex-husband defrauded the federal government of nearly $900,000 in pandemic small business aid

Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in the federal case and 40 years in the state case

Both Hallfords pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse

WHERE:

Colorado, specifically Colorado Springs where the funeral home was located

WHEN:

Carie Hallford was sentenced on March 16th, 2026

She pleaded guilty in August 2025

The bodies were discovered in 2023

Carie Hallford was put back in jail in November 2024

Jon Hallford was sentenced in February 2026

WHY:

Carie Hallford claimed she was a “scared and desperate mother” manipulated to keep the family business operating

Prosecutors argued for a longer sentence due to the exploitation of grieving families

HOW:

Hallford and her ex-husband hid nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a building

They spent pandemic-era small business loan money on luxury items, including vehicles and goods from Gucci and Tiffany & Co.

(UPDATED March 16, 2026 21:12 UTC)

Today, Carie Hallford was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges for defrauding grieving families and the government, while her ex-husband Jon Hallford received a 20-year sentence in federal court and 40 years in state court. The couple took over $130,000 from families for funeral services, providing urns filled with concrete instead of ashes and hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies, while misusing nearly $900,000 in pandemic aid for luxury items. The case, which has drawn significant attention, highlights the exploitation of vulnerable families during a time of grief, with victims including Kelly Schloesser, Elizabeth Gannon, Emma Williams, and Crystina Page.