'Wedding Crasher' Thief Pleads Guilty in Montgomery County
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Montgomery County prosecutors say they will seek jail time for a Bridgeport, Pa. man who admitted he stole thousands of dollars in gifts while unsuspecting brides and grooms were celebrating their weddings.
Prosecutors dubbed Joseph Franzone the "wedding crasher thief" because he would slip into wedding celebrations throughout the area and steal from the gift table.
Now, he has pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one count of attempted theft for the four receptions he targeted last year in Montgomery, Chester, and Lancaster counties for a total of nearly $12,000 in cash, checks, and gift cards.
Prosecutor Lindsay O'Brien expects the victims to testify at sentencing.
"I mean, aside from it having a serious monetary impact on them in being able to have the money that they needed to start their lives together, it was also just an extremely upsetting event for them," she tells KYW Newsradio.
O'Brien says she will be looking for state prison time because of the emotional impact it had on his victims.
Franzone, 36, remains behind bars. His defense attorney blamed the thefts on his addiction to prescription drugs.
