Wedding Photos Recovered From Alleged Scam Artist Stuck In Bureaucratic Limbo, Couples Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's a fight for wedding photos that never seems to end.
Dozens of newlyweds allege the same photographer took their pictures and their money before taking off. The photos themselves were recently recovered, but the government agency that's supposed to look out for the scorned couples is holding their memories hostage.
The thumbnails are all Lisa and Sal Quinto have from their wedding day. The Bulls Head, Staten Island couple celebrated their one year anniversary in November.
"We didn't get anything," Lisa told CBS2's Lisa Rozner.
"We had nothing, I have empty picture frames that were gifts from our engagement party that I can't fill," Sal added.
The Quintos are one of dozens of couples who hired Jorge Valdivia from Mirage Artistic Photography to shoot their wedding. Kiersten and Michael Mancino, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, were also married last November. Cell phone photos taken by family are all they have.
"We told everyone to keep the cameras down, we have a professional," Kiersten said.
But the experience was anything but professional. A quick online search shows endless reviews about how the Elizabeth, New Jersey based Valdivia allegedly robbed brides and grooms of thousands of dollars and never provided photos or videos.
In October, CBS2 reported a good Samaritan was able to retrieve the files from Valdivia and get some couples their photos. He was forced to hand them over to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, which still has them.
"We thought once he said they'd take it over we were gonna start recovering everything, but I guess the investigation's taking longer than we had hoped," Kiersten said.
The Quintos say they haven't heard a peep either.
"No updates, no phone calls, no emails," Sal said. "We're left in the dark here."
Lisa even tried to get one for her sick mother-in-law to no avail.
"I just wanted to give her a blown up picture of the whole family on his side and there was just, it was silence on their end," she said.
CBS2's request for an on-camera interview with the agency was denied. In a statement, they say they'll try to give the photos back to the consumers. In the meantime, those brides are still waiting.
As for how to avoid similar situations, the consumer affairs division recommends couples pay by credit card instead of cash.