DENVER (AP) — A former Colorado funeral home owner, Carie Hallford, is appealing for leniency during her sentencing on Monday, where she faces potential imprisonment of up to 20 years. Hallford, 48, is asking the court to consider her circumstances, claiming she acted out of desperation as a mother and was manipulated by her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, to keep their family-run business afloat.

Hallford pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in August. She admitted to misappropriating over $130,000 in funeral service payments, often providing grieving families with urns filled with concrete mix instead of the ashes of their loved ones. Investigators discovered instances where the wrong bodies were buried. Additionally, she and her ex-husband defrauded the federal government of nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds.

According to Hallford's attorney, Robert Charles Melihercik, her change in mindset coincided with her divorce from Jon Hallford, which followed a brief incarceration in November 2024. This separation allowed her to shed the “fog” of years of abuse and manipulation she endured in her marriage.

Federal sentencing guidelines typically suggest a maximum of eight years in prison for Hallford due to her previously clean criminal record. However, federal prosecutors are urging U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang to impose a more severe sentence of 15 years. They argue that Hallford took advantage of vulnerable, grieving clients during one of the most notorious instances of body mishandling in U.S. history.

The discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies at the Hallfords' funeral home in 2023 has left countless victims grappling with guilt, shame, nightmares, and panic attacks. Bodies were found stacked so high that they obstructed doorways, generating an alarming scene of decay, insects, and leaking bodily fluids. Prosecutors are pressing for a lengthy sentence in part due to the gross exploitation of families during their most vulnerable moments.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, it was revealed that the Hallfords lavishly spent pandemic loan money on luxury items such as vehicles, cryptocurrency, and goods from high-end stores instead of investing in their funeral home. Carie Hallford claims that much of the extravagant spending was spurred by her ex-husband's attempts at "love-bombing," where he would apologize and seek to win her back, convincing her to overlook pressing concerns about the business.

Victims of the Hallfords’ scheme are largely unsympathetic toward Carie Hallford’s claims of fear and anxiety. Emma Williams, whose family trusted the Hallfords with her father's remains, emphasized that Hallford had the choice to step away from the business yet chose to continue exploiting grieving families for profit. Crystina Page also expressed anger, stating that Hallford “fed the monster” by continuing to accept business while knowing the situation within the funeral home was unethical and disturbing.

Melihercik argues that a shorter sentence would allow Hallford to return to work and make restitution for the funds taken from victims. Hallford is also facing a future state court sentencing that could impose an additional 25 to 35 years of imprisonment. Both Carie and Jon Hallford pled guilty to numerous counts of corpse abuse in state court, and their sentences will run concurrently.

Jon Hallford has already been sentenced to 20 years in federal court and an additional 40 years in state court, where he expressed remorse for his actions. At his state sentencing, he acknowledged his wrongdoings, stating, “I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not.”