This is absolutely horrible.
Writing by Josh Barry on Thursday, 6 of March , 2008 at 2:30 am
Below is a story. Not just a story, a horror story of someone who threw away a 30 year reputation in photography. Speaking without boundaries I hope someone cuts my hands off if I ever do anything this stupid. Photographer horror stories are usually the type thing that centers around the more common "I paid the photographer, he came and took the photos and then I never heard from him again and it's been 2 years!"
The story below sickens me. Seriously. I never say anything about other photographers. Any of my clients know this. It is not anywhere near professional. But I would be doing a disservice to my clients if I didn't share this.
Oy vey! Bat mitzvah photographer accused of stealing guest's purse
By REGINA MEDINA
Philadelphia Daily Newsmedinar@phillynews.com 215-854-5985
Sometime between the DJ playing "Hava Nagila" and "Last Dance" at a recent bat mitzvah party, the professional photographer allegedly stopped snapping pictures and got sticky fingers.Steve Raab, 60, of Huntingdon Valley, allegedly stole a guest's black felt purse and apparently used a credit card it contained to pay for gas and dog food, Montgomery County authorities say.
Now, county prosecutors want to know if Raab, who specializes in weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and other festivities, has stolen other items while at work.
So far, there are no indications that Raab has stolen before, said Assistant District Attorney Steven Latzer.
Raab and his wife, Susan, 63, were arrested Friday and charged with theft, criminal conspiracy and other charges. The couple, who have run Creative Photography and Video for more than 30 years in Newtown, Bucks County, and in Northeast Philadelphia, are out of jail on bail until a March 26 preliminary hearing.
"It's obviously distressing," Latzer said. "You place your trust in them [photographers], you have a good time. You don't consider the fact that the photographer is going into your things and stealing them.
"In situations such as this, not only did he steal a purse, but he also stole the trust of the people that hired him," he said.
Steve Raab was hired to videotape and snap photos of a bat mitzvah at the Philmont Country Club in Lower Moreland Feb. 2, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The purse belonging to an out-of-town guest went MIA between midnight and 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, the police criminal complaint said.
The purse reportedly contained an American Express credit card, an iPhone, makeup and other items.
The victim canceled the card, but not before the Raabs used it to purchase $60 in gasoline at a Philly Amoco BP and for a large bag of dog food, valued at $66.32, on the same day, according to the complaint.
Susan Raab was not at the party.
The couple allegedly attempted to buy a global-positioning system and a man's shirt at a Wal-Mart in the Northeast, but the transaction was declined. The Raabs allegedly tried once again - and failed - to get the GPS at a Target store in the Northeast. The transactions at Target and Wal-Mart were recorded on surveillance video.
The investigation led cops to Raab's studio at 120 S. State St. in Newtown, where Lower Moreland Township Detective Rick Small showed the surveillance photos to Raab. The photographer said he had found the credit card "laying in the parking lot" outside the Philmont Country Club, according to the police complaint.
When Small asked where the card was, "Raab, without hesitation, pulled the card from a left jacket pocket that he was wearing and gave it" to the detective, according to the complaint.
Eventually, the couple hired a lawyer who helped facilitate the return of the black purse including all missing items, prosecutors said.
Small asks anyone who believes he or she was the victim of a theft at a wedding, bar/bat mitzvah or other private party at which Raab was the photographer to call him at 215-947-3132, extension 223. *
Here is the link to the original story: http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/16017157.html
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Category: Hot News, The Daily Blurb
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