San Francisco Wedding Planner Who Ripped Off Dozens Of Couples Begins 4-Year Prison Sentence
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A San Francisco wedding planner who ripped off dozens of couples surrendered Wednesday to serve a four-year prison sentence for grand theft, the district attorney's office said Thursday.
Stanley Kwan, 45, owned a wedding planning business called To Have and To Hold, which operated out of San Francisco's Chinatown district.
In 2005 and 2006, Kwan took money for wedding services but failed to provide his customers with the agreed upon services, either in part or in whole, the district attorney's office said.
Among the services he agreed to provide, but did not produce, were photography, videography, bridesmaid dresses, tuxedo rentals, alcohol, flowers, and limousine services.
District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement released Thursday 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."
According to the district attorney's office, 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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