this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2025
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A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 dead bodies in a decrepit building and sent grieving families fake ashes received the maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison on Friday, for cheating customers and defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 aid.

Jon Hallford, owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court last year. Separately, Hallford pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse in state court and will be sentenced in August.

At Friday’s hearing, federal prosecutors sought a 15-year sentence and Hallford’s attorney asked for 10 years. Judge Nina Wang said that although the case focused on a single fraud charge, the circumstances and scale of Hallford’s crime and the emotional damage to families warranted the longer sentence.

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[–] ChojinDSL@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 21 hours ago

Sounds like a lot more effort than to simply cremate the bodies.

[–] tobis@lemm.ee 21 points 1 day ago

If only there was some way of disposing of the evidence.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why the hell was the guilty party just storing the bodies in the first place? Did they not have the means to actually cremate them or were they doing something weirder? 😨

[–] 3aqn5k6ryk@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Cremation cost money. The relatives sent money to the owner to cremate but the owner takes the money without doing anything. I guess its spur of the moment without long term planning. The bodies just keeps piling up until it was discovered. Thats how i interpreted it.

[–] cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 day ago

“While the bodies rotted in secret, (the Hallfords) lived, they laughed and they dined,” he added. “My mom’s cremation money likely helped pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first class flight.”

[–] nthavoc@lemmy.today 6 points 1 day ago

The end of the article where the FBI agents were having to put boards down just to get through .... Greed knows no boundaries and that's enough Internet for tonight.

[–] OCATMBBL@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The appropriate sentence here is to stash him in the same building, and boarding it up.

Can't do better than 20-years in a minimum security for a wealthy white dude though. It's not like he did some heinous, irredeemable crime like smoking marijuana while black or something.

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't think he's like a decent person or anything, but 20 years of captivity is a hell of a long time...

[–] match@pawb.social -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

For desecrating 200 corpses?

[–] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

This is just for fraud. The corpse abuse sentencing is in August.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 18 points 1 day ago (3 children)

What's the difference between 5, 10, 20 years in a case like this? How does it affect the person who did it, or help the families that were harmed?

[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 2 points 20 hours ago

This mainly addresses the 'fraud' side of things, not the desecration of corpses. Notice how the article states, "(for cheating customers) and defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 aid". That's what they really care about, he tried fucking the government. So as I read it, the Feds wanted 15 years & they probably tacked on an additional fiver for the corpse fraud. He was going to get 15 years because the government wanted him to get 15 years.

[–] Zenith@lemm.ee 18 points 1 day ago

Americans like their punishment based justice system generally, it’s why you always see people scoffing at literally decades long sentences as “not long enough” so it helps American families who believe in punishment based justice because the person is being punished. It’s cultural

[–] needanke@feddit.org 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yeah, 20 years seems needlessly long

It's pretty lenient for a cruelty system masquerading as "justice".

Genuinely wouldn't have been surprised if they would've sentenced him to 20 years for each of the 190 instances.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Just over 1 month prison for each family defrauded, including the body of their loved one discarded like trash.

If he did this to just one family, would he have only gotten a month?

The court has disrespected these families worse than he did.

[–] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's the maximum possible sentence. The court can't do more. Also, this is just the sentence for COVID aid fraud. Sentencing for the corpse abuse charges is scheduled for August.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 21 hours ago

It's the maximum possible sentence. The court can't do more.

So, if they tried this as 190 individual cases, he'd only get a 5 weeks each? The courts really needed to do more.

Also, this is just the sentence for COVID aid fraud. Sentencing for the corpse abuse charges is scheduled for August.

I reread the article multiple times, and 20 years is the maximum for everything, including defrauding the government, to be confirmed in August.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I agree what happened is a travesty but here's the thing that gets me most ... it's an unregulated business, so the onus is on the state to get their act together and make the rules.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 21 hours ago

According to this legal site, mishandling of a corpse gets you a lot more than 5 weeks, with mention of funeral homes and hospitals:

The penalties for these crimes vary significantly by jurisdiction. Some states classify abuse of a corpse as a misdemeanor, which may result in fines and a jail sentence of up to one year. More serious acts can be charged as a felony, carrying stiffer penalties, including several years in prison and fines that can reach $10,000 or more.

[–] BottleCaptain@feddit.nl -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Reading only the headline: Why, isn't that his job?

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

sent grieving families fake ashes

[–] BottleCaptain@feddit.nl 3 points 1 day ago

Yes I also read the rest of the text, i just wanted to make a joke.