WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Photographer skips town with clients' money

Photographer skips town with clients' money

By Maira Ansari - bio | email
Posted By Mike Dever - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Several viewers have contacted WAVE 3 saying they were ripped off and left without a photographer to shoot weddings and other events after the man they hired closed up shop and disappeared.

Pictures can capture precious moments, and that's what Amanda Dishon wanted for her wedding. "It is the photos that make that day last," she said. 

Amanda and her fiance, Adam Nelson, are getting married on October 10, 2009.

They were among six people who contacted us after they hired Louisville photographer Ramon Rodriguez to shoot their special events.

"We are getting married August 22" said Lindsey Schuppert, who says she hired Rodriguez in October of 2008, and has already paid him $1,700. "I was really excited that we found someone locally," Lindsey said.

Everyone who has contacted us says they've paid hundreds - even thousands - of dollars for his services. They even got the contracts and receipts to back them up.

The problem: they can't find Rodriguez.

"I am so utterly mad that someone would take our money like this," said Adam Nelson.

We stopped by Ramon Rodriguez's studio on East Broadway and rang the doorbell - there was no answer. 

We also called a number listed outside his studio. It said the voice mailbox was full. When we looked inside the studio through a window, the place was empty.

Larry Tannheimer and Megan Fogarty say they did hear from him over the weekend. "Got this anonymous letter saying he's skipped town" said Tannheimer.

The letter also said "Ramon Rodriguez is out of business and he has legal and financial issues and took off," Fogarty said.

It turns out that his clients aren't' the only people Rodriguez has stood up. He was a no-show in court Monday for a motion to revoke his probation. He has been on probation since being found guilty of driving under the influence in 2005 when he was involved in a car crash.

Rodriguez did serve some jail time before being given probation. In February, however, he was charged with another DUI and told he could go back to jail.

Now the court has issued a warrant for his arrest. "We do think it is important that he be brought before the court," said Chris Hutchison with the Commonwealth Attorney's office.

Right now no one seems to know where Rodriguez is hiding. But his victims say it's not just the money lost, it's the violation of trust.

"He took so much more than money," Nelson said. "So many pictures, moments from someone's lifetime and they'll never get them now."

Many of the people that we spoke to say they are scrambling to find photographers at the last minute.

We spoke with Rodriguez's attorney, and she told us the last time she heard from her client was a week ago, she says she doesn't know where he is.