COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A funeral home owner accused of stealing from elderly clients who prepaid for services that weren’t provided has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Neva Nolan, 71, also was sentenced on Friday to pay $453,000 in restitution, as victims and family members of Nolan’s clients watched from a packed courtroom.
She had faced a maximum sentence of six years after pleading guilty to theft and abuse of a corpse.
Acting 4th Judicial District Judge Barney Iuppa said that normally probation would have been appropriate for a nonviolent offense by someone with no criminal record. But, he said, Nolan’s “abuse and betrayal” of dozens of clients of Nolan Funeral Home demanded more.
In one case, the family of a deceased veteran said they believed his remains would be sent to Fort Logan National Cemetery. The ashes wound up in a storage unit rented by Nolan.
Nolan’s attorney Amanda Phillips said Nolan had made a “colossal mistake” by putting clients’ money into an overseas bank that turned out to be a scam rather than keeping it in a trust account, as required by Colorado law.
“We’re all here today because of mistakes and poor decisions I made,” Nolan said. “The regret and remorse I feel is overwhelming. … I want to do my best to rectify these honest mistakes.”
Deputy District Attorney Bill Edie said investigators verified that Nolan lost $40,000 in an offshore scam but believe she stole more than $200,000 from clients.
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Information from: The Gazette,
