Wedding Planner Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Defrauding Clients

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November 14, 2014 5:03 PM

A San Fransisco wedding planner has been sentenced to a 4-year jail term for ripping off dozens of unsuspecting clients.

The district attorney's office has said that a wedding planner in San Fransisco who succeeded in ripping off dozens of couples, surrendered on Wednesday to serve a 4-year prison sentence for grand theft.

Stanley Kwan, 45, owned a wedding planning business called, To Have and To hold, which operated out of San Fransisco's Chinatown district.

According to the district attorney's office, in 2005 and 2006, Kwan took money for wedding services but failed to provide his customers with the services agreed upon, either in part or in whole.

Among the services he agreed to provide, but did not produce, were photography, videography, bridesmaid dresses, tuxedo rentals, alcohol, flowers, and limousine services, SF Bay reports.

In a statement released yesterday, District Attorney, George Gascón said that he felt awful for the victims of these crimes, "many of whom discovered that they'd been ripped off just before their special day."

Furthermore, the district attorney's office said Kwan was initially charged with 25 counts of grand theft and one count of conspiracy.

Two of the grand theft charges were related to vendors who Kwan failed to pay for their services.

In 2009, the district attorney sought an arrest warrant for Kwan, but he was not located until Hayward police arrested him in July 2012.

On April 22, Kwan pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft resulting in a total loss of $60,458.89 to his victims and was sentenced to serve four years in prison.

Kwan paid $7,000 in restitution and will be responsible for paying the remainder, including prejudgment interest, according to the district attorney.

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