Josh Helmuth
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story noted Chris Farmer, general counsel for the National Funeral Directors Association, as saying the public cannot look up a funeral home’s disciplinary history in Colorado. That’s not entirely true, as the judgment in this story’s case was found via public record. All inspection reports and complaints are not public record.
Also, Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies reached out to KRDO13 following this report to further clarify that Aaron Kucharik, a former funeral director licensed in Kansas, did not help write Colorado’s Death Care Consumer Guide but helped provide input on the booklet during its development.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – After Colorado’s disturbing funeral home scandal in Penrose in 2023, lawmakers vowed to tighten oversight. But in Colorado Springs, a man once convicted of forging a death certificate is now running a funeral business, and it’s perfectly legal.
A “Mortuary Master” in Colorado Springs
Adam Casey calls himself a “Mortuary Master.”
“Somebody who is well versed in all aspects of the business,” he told 13 Investigates.
Casey opened Casey’s Home for Funerals in Colorado Springs earlier this year.
“I am a mortician. I am an embalmer. I specialize in restorative art,” he said.
His business offers what he calls “cinematic” services, with music, performance, and celebration at their core.
“Our services are not traditional simply because we are very, very cinematic with the way that we provide services,” Casey said. “We definitely like to sing and pretty much help the family heal, along with the celebration of life.”
A Troubled Past in Illinois
But Casey’s career hasn’t always been smooth. In 2017, he was arrested in Cook County, Illinois, for operating without a license and forging a death certificate. According to the sheriff’s office, Casey pleaded guilty to forgery and was sentenced to probation and community service.
When asked what happened, Casey described a partnership gone wrong.
“I got partnered with a funeral home,” he said. “A lady who said that she wanted to revive her funeral home and bring new life to it. Sadly, it was a nightmare because everything that I thought it was, it wasn’t.”
He says he was arrested at a funeral service “in front of the family.”
“It was horrible,” he recalled. “I know I was set up.”
Court records show that Casey’s guilty plea remains on file. But when asked why anyone should trust him after a felony conviction, Casey said:
“We all know that justice isn’t always accurate the first time around. Based on the black and white, I would understand — yeah, I wouldn’t give me a chance either. However, once again, new facts … have been brought to the forefront. It has been revealed that everything is not what it appeared to be.”
13 Investigates also discovered Casey was arrested by Chicago Police on Dec. 5, 2019 on battery and criminal trespass charges. Casey claims the arrest was a surprise, happening during an industry seminar during his probation from the first arrest.
A Judge’s Decision — and a New Beginning in Colorado
Casey later moved to Colorado — and for a reason.
“When I found out that Colorado had, well, you could practice funeral services and not necessarily be licensed, I said, ‘Okay, well, here it is,’” he said. “If they’re going to give me the opportunity to serve in Colorado, I can prove that I know what I’m doing compared to some of the people who may not.”
Records from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) show that the state initially denied Casey’s registration to operate Casey’s Home for Funerals because of his criminal history. But Casey appealed that decision, and Colorado Administrative Law Judge Zoe Cole ultimately overturned the denial — allowing him to operate legally.
13 Investigates reached out to Judge Cole’s office for comment on the decision, noting how the Colorado funeral home industry is even further under the microscope since DORA inspectors said 24 bodies were discovered improperly stored in Pueblo this summer. However, Judge Cole’s office declined to comment, saying her written decision in the public document states that the facts presented during the appeal spoke for themselves.
Read the full document below:
Final Agency OrderDownload
Part of the granted appeal, based on the written record, had to do with Casey’s colleague, Robert Matthews. He’s a funeral director from Denver who testified in support of Casey. 13 Investigates also reached out to Mr. Matthews for comment, but never heard back.
“If You Do Something Wrong in Another State, Just Move to Colorado”
Unlike Judge Cole, not everyone agrees that Casey deserves a second chance.
“Yeah, it’s definitely proving my point,” said Aaron Kucharik, a former licensed funeral director who helped provide input for the writers of Colorado’s Death Care Consumer Guide. “If you do something wrong in any other state, you just move to Colorado and you do it.”
Kucharik, who was licensed in Kansas, left the industry after moving to Colorado because of the lack of funeral home regulation. He’s since become a consultant for lawmakers.
Laws Passed, but Loopholes Remain
In response to the scandal in Penrose, where close to 200 bodies were left to decay inside a funeral home, lawmakers passed two bills in 2024 to strengthen funeral home oversight: House Bill 24-1335 and Senate Bill 24-173.
HB24-1335 requires that funeral homes:
Be inspected on a “routine basis” at any time of day.
Maintain sanitary preparation rooms.
Refrain from taking custody of more human remains than they can refrigerate.
SB24-173, meanwhile, will require funeral directors to be licensed — but not until January 1, 2027.
Until then, Colorado remains the only state where mortuary science professionals can operate without a license.
“If you just decide that you want to be a funeral director,” Kucharik explained, “you can apply for a provisional license through the department and would not have to complete the education or national board credentials.”
National Expert: “It’s Too Important to Let Anyone Do It”
Chris Farmer, general counsel for the National Funeral Directors Association, says Colorado’s standards for funeral homes are far behind the rest of the country.
“They need to have passed some standardized testing. They need to have some licensing,” Farmer said. “There’s a very good reason in funeral service why people who commit crimes like theft, fraud, or deceit should be looked at very carefully before they’re given a funeral director’s license.”
Farmer added that in most states, the public can look up a funeral home’s disciplinary history.
“It’s essential to have at least some kind of basic understanding of who’s practicing in your state,” he said. “When regulators here decided against licensing, I told them it was a mistake. Within a week, scandals popped up, and they reversed course.”
Colorado’s Records Now Hidden From Public View
Kucharik and Farmer also expressed concern about new language in the law that hides funeral home inspection reports from public view. Previously, those reports were open records. But the new legislation crossed out the line stating that “records kept by the director shall be open to public inspection.”
13 Investigates why anyone would want those lines crossed out?
“Because they want to hide,” Kucharik said. “If a funeral home doesn’t have anything to hide, they would have no issue with these being made public.”
13 Investigates submitted a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request asking for all complaints filed against funeral homes over the past two years, assuming that, at least, complaints would be public record. However, even that request was denied, citing the new confidentiality rules.
Casey’s Current Status — and Future Plans
Casey currently operates without a physical facility, instead partnering with other funeral homes when needed. He also works in the hospitality industry while building his business.
“So I ended up working in hotels,” he said. “I got into the hospitality industry, working at the front desk … The funeral home industry seems to be my side hustle, which I hope someday to make a permanent full-time job.”
In order to get a license by 2027, all funeral directors in Colorado must pass a background check, graduate from an accredited mortuary science school, pass a national board exam, and have received workplace learning experience of one year or longer; but one can also get a provisional license if they’ve obtained at least 4,000 hours of work experience of a year or more and with a background check.
When asked how he’s preparing for the upcoming licensure requirements, Casey said:
“I’ll make sure that within DORA’s protocol, I have everything correct with my schooling, my continuing education hours, and my licensure as a full funeral director and embalmer, preferably a mortuary science practitioner.”
“The Truth Is Being Revealed”
Despite his past, Casey says he believes he’s on the right side of reform.
“My heart goes out to the families affected by these situations [Penrose and Pueblo],” he said. “But the one thing I’m thankful for is that the light has been shone and the truth is being revealed. All of the foolishness, all of the people that’s not supposed to be in the funeral business, it’s being revealed.”
Casey also says he supports transparency — to a degree.
“Certain documents should be public record,” he said. “But due to the sensitive nature of people’s personal information, just like HIPAA, some things shouldn’t be known to the public. There shouldn’t be anything we hide — yes, pass or fail — but certain things should remain private if they could cause turmoil.”
Calls for Stronger Oversight
Kucharik says he’s continuing to push lawmakers to go further, reinstating full public inspection reports, requiring immediate licensure, continued education, multiple annual inspections, and stricter penalties for misconduct.
“Colorado needs to match the standards of other states,” he said.
As for Casey, he maintains that the judge’s ruling in his favor showed his case was misunderstood.
“When she saw the facts, the text messages, she saw irrefutably that I had evidence to support my story,” he said. “She was able to see sincerely that I wasn’t who they said I was at that moment.”
Records and Resources
Check a License through Colorado DORA.
File a complaint here with DORA.
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