City to seek restitution for 40 couples duped by woman
A Santa Monica wedding photographer failed to show up for her criminal arraignment Monday, continuing a long-standing pattern of flaking on her court dates.
Juli Anne Armitage, who is accused of conning 40 local couples out of between $1,500 and $2,900 each, told the public defender’s office she was suffering from “car troubles” and was running late to her hearing.
This is the first time Armitage, who faces 17 counts of grand theft and one charge of doing business without a license, has failed to appear on these particular criminal charges.
However the local photographer has a long history of missed court dates, spanning 12 cases over the past eight years.
And her explanation Monday — that her car broke down in Ventura — wasn’t a new one. She used it late last month in a small claims case brought against her by newlyweds who hired her to capture their special day but wound up pictureless and empty-handed.
3CC,“That’s kind of been her M.O. with previous court dates,” said city attorney Adam Radinsky, who asked the court to issue a bench warrant for Armitage’s arrest.
Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins complied with the request, but said he would hold on to it until next week, allowing Armitage “one last chance” to appear before handing the warrant over to police.
The city’s complaint lists 17 couples who allege Armitage collected money from them then either didn’t provide photos of their wedding or never showed up at all — an allegation Armitage has denied. Armitage faces 17 counts of grand theft and one count of doing business without a license.
The alleged fraud occurred between 2000 and 2002, according to the complaint.
Armitage has said the city is preventing her from completing the work for her clients because all of her property — including client files, computer hard drive, negatives and all information relating to her business — was seized.
5C9,“Truly, this is a situation of running late and I had every intention of following through with my clients,” Armitage said in an earlier interview. “I would never intentionally fraud somebody and just take their money and not follow through.”
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and $2,700 in fines and penalties for each of the 17 counts of grand theft, according to the city attorney’s office. Additionally, the city attorney’s office said it will seek restitution for 40 couples who they say were duped by Armitage — even ones who didn’t sign on to the city’s lawsuit.
One of those couples, Philip and Kristina Deco of Woodland Hills, said they didn’t join the city’s lawsuit because they wanted to give Armitage one last chance to make good on her promise.
Philip Deco came to court Monday hoping to talk to Armitage. He said he had tried calling but she didn’t return his calls, and he tried stopping by her home but she had been evicted. Deco said he will keep coming to hearings in the hopes of speaking with Armitage and do whatever it takes to get the pictures that he and his wife paid for.
“Yeah, we got screwed and everything, but I just want the damn negatives back,” Deco said. “Now, with her not showing up, it looks like we might have to get on the case.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 25, 2003. Read the original PDF.