> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Judge delays fraud case of wedding photographer - URL: https://www.smdp.com/judge-delays-fraud-case-of-wedding-photographer/ - Published: 2002-12-20T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T01:09:19.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Photographer says city is making matters worse* A judge has postponed the court proceedings of a local photographer accused of fraud. Santa Monica Superior Court Commissioner Roberta Kyman on Wednesday granted three extra weeks to photographer Juli Anne Armitage to enter her plea because she is filing for bankruptcy. Armitage, a wedding photographer, has been charged by the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office with 17 counts of fraud for allegedly promising wedding photography packages, but not providing the goods. Armitage gave Kyman an emotional plea to postpone the arraignment because she is going through bankruptcy proceedings both professionally and personally. The photographer said since her business is not operating, she has been evicted from her Santa Monica studio space. Only after the results of bankruptcy will the court know if Armitage, 38, can be awarded a public defender, which she has applied for, or if she must pay for an attorney on her own. She is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 23, 2003. “This is all I have done for the past 15 years,” said Armitage, wiping away tears. The complaint against Armitage, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, lists 17 separate couples who claim the photographer collected about $2,000 from each of them, but didn’t provide photos of their weddings or never showed up to the wedding at all — an allegation Armitage denies. Armitage said she went to every wedding and provided each couple with contact sheets, which show all the photos she took. The couples selected the photos they wanted to include in their photo albums, but because of personal family problems, she was unable to put the albums together, Armitage said. “I know I’m in the wrong,” she said on Wednesday. “I mean, I am late.” If convicted of all 17 misdemeanor counts, Armitage faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in jail and $17,000 in fines. Armitage said the city attorney’s office is making matters worse for her and her clients. On Oct. 1, the city attorney’s office seized Armitage’s negatives and computer hard drives as evidence in the case against her. Because the city won’t return her belongings, Armitage said she cannot complete the work for her clients. “Instead of helping the situation, they have made it 100 times worse,” she said. Deputy City Attorney Adam Radinsky said Armitage had plenty of opportunity for more than a year to make good on the wedding contracts. The alleged fraud took place from 2000 to 2002\. “It doesn’t make sense to blame the city now for not being able to finish her work,” he said. “There were any number of times when she could have made good on these contracts and she didn’t.” > “It doesn’t make sense to blame the city now for not being able to finish her work. There were any number of times when she could have made good on these contracts and she didn’t.” — — ADAM RADINSKY Santa Monica Deputy City Attorney Armitage has lived and worked in Santa Monica for the past eight years, she said. While she has taken photos of local homes for real estate companies and head shots for actors, she said the bulk of her jobs were for weddings. Her other clients have included the City of Santa Monica, the Big Blue Bus, W.I.S.E Senior Services, Coldwell Banker Realty, Fred Sands Realty, UCLA Medical Center, Time Warner and Capital Records. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 20, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/122002.pdf?ref=smdp.com)