‘Return to Nature’ funeral home owner sentenced to 18 years for federal fraud charges

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Carie Hallford, a co-owner of a now-notorious Penrose funeral home, was sentenced to 18 years for federal fraud charges on March 16.

According to the court, this sentence will run concurrently with the state sentence, and upon release, will include 3 years of probation. The court also ordered a restitution of over one million.

Carie and her now ex-husband, Jon, owned Return to Nature Funeral Home, and both accepted plea deals in a separate criminal case where prosecutors say they left close to 200 bodies to decay without a proper cremation or burial.

The couple is accused of stealing over $130,000 from families for funeral services, including cremations, and often giving families urns full of concrete mix instead.

In August, Carie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and admitted that she and her ex-husband defrauded the federal government of $882,300 in pandemic small-business aid.

Jon was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 3 years of probation, for federal wire fraud charges in June of 2025.

The scheme was discovered after neighbors in Penrose reported a smell emanating from the Return to Nature property. KRDO13 Investigates was at the scene as deputies busted into the building, where 189 decomposing bodies were found stacked on top of each other.

KRDO13 Investigates has covered the Return to Nature Funeral Home and the horrific situation created by Jon and Carrie Hallford extensively. Our full reporting on the topic can be found here.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.