Birmingham bridal store owner charged with defrauding customers
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Kiera Ellis-Hume got married just a few weeks ago. She said it was a dream to marry her husband, Dekoven, but searching for a wedding dress was a nightmare.
Ellis-Hume said she found a dress at Birmingham Bridal in January and paid thousands of dollars for it upfront.
"Six thousand is a lot of money, especially in this economy that we're in now, that's a lot of money," she said.
Ellis-Hume said she began to worry after store owner Nadica Ristivojevic stopped answering her calls and text messages in July - only one month before her Aug. 26 wedding date.
"Weeks go on, I don't hear from her, and I follow back up with her. It's maybe July 15. I'm like, 'Hey, any update on my dress?' No response," she said.
This is when the then-bride-to-be said she began to worry that she had been scammed.
"Something told me, and I will say it was God, he told me to go on her Facebook page and just see if she had reviews on there. Someone said on the Facebook page, 'Hey, if you think you're getting a dress, you're not. She had shut down her store, and there was a for rent or for sale sign on the door,'" Ellis-Hume said.
Ristivojevic was booked in the Oakland County jail on Sept. 8 and charged with defrauding customers of roughly $50,000. She was given a $750,000 cash surety bond.
Ellis-Hume said this bad business nearly ruined her special day.
"Where else am I going to get a wedding dress in a month?" she asked.
Her question was answered by a nearby bridal store also located in Birmingham.
"Thankfully, I looked magical on my wedding day. I will be forever be appreciative and grateful for Roma Sposa, and they said a few other brides came in and said the same thing," Ellis-Hume said.
Because she was able to find a wedding dress in such a short time at Roma Sposa, Ellis-Hume said thankfully, her wedding day turned out to be all smiles and a great celebration.
Meanwhile, she is encouraging brides-to-be to do as much research as possible before dishing out thousands of dollars.
"Who would think you could get defrauded in Birmingham? It shows you that you can get defrauded anywhere," Ellis-Hume said.
