By Dave Canfield
The Record

ALBANY — The Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against a former Troy wedding photographer on behalf of couples who paid for photo albums they never received.

The suit, filed in Albany County Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeks more than $175,000 from Robert Mannix, who previously operated a photography business on Fulton Street in downtown Troy. It also seeks to prevent him from operating a professional photography business unless he files a $100,000 bond as a fund to recoup any future losses.

The AG began investigating Mannix based on complaints brought to them in 2009, spokeswoman Michelle Duffy said. The allegations surrounded about 30 couples, most of them local, and date back to late 2006, she said.

They purchased wedding photo packages from Mannix, some paying as much as $5,000, according to the attorney general’s office. While photos were provided to some complainants, their photo albums — some handcrafted in Italy — were not provided.

The lawsuit alleges Mannix collected a total of $42,920 for services he never performed. The suit seeks that amount plus $135,500 in damages, which would go into the state’s general fund.

Mannix did business as Mannix Studio and Star Wedding Photography, and he has not been in business since 2009. He does not have a publicly listed telephone number and could not be reached.

Complaints about him can be found on numerous websites used by those looking for wedding photographers. On projectwedding.com, for instance, customers complain they never received the items and said Mannix had stopped taking their calls or responding to e-mails.

A man identifying himself as Mannix replied on the site in 2009, apologizing and acknowledging he had not kept up his end of the bargain.

“I am truly sorry, and tell you that all will be made right. I have been through a rough road and I am working hard to make it all right,” he wrote. “I will get everyone what they paid a lot of money for.”

The attorney general’s office said the matter is being dealt with through a civil lawsuit because criminal charges would require prosecutors to prove Mannix intended to scam customers. Continued...

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Dave Canfield can be reached at 270-1290 or by e-mail at dcanfield@troyrecord.com.

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By Dave Canfield
The Record

ALBANY — The Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against a former Troy wedding photographer on behalf of couples who paid for photo albums they never received.

The suit, filed in Albany County Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeks more than $175,000 from Robert Mannix, who previously operated a photography business on Fulton Street in downtown Troy. It also seeks to prevent him from operating a professional photography business unless he files a $100,000 bond as a fund to recoup any future losses.

The AG began investigating Mannix based on complaints brought to them in 2009, spokeswoman Michelle Duffy said. The allegations surrounded about 30 couples, most of them local, and date back to late 2006, she said.

They purchased wedding photo packages from Mannix, some paying as much as $5,000, according to the attorney general’s office. While photos were provided to some complainants, their photo albums — some handcrafted in Italy — were not provided.

The lawsuit alleges Mannix collected a total of $42,920 for services he never performed. The suit seeks that amount plus $135,500 in damages, which would go into the state’s general fund.

Mannix did business as Mannix Studio and Star Wedding Photography, and he has not been in business since 2009. He does not have a publicly listed telephone number and could not be reached.

Complaints about him can be found on numerous websites used by those looking for wedding photographers. On projectwedding.com, for instance, customers complain they never received the items and said Mannix had stopped taking their calls or responding to e-mails.

A man identifying himself as Mannix replied on the site in 2009, apologizing and acknowledging he had not kept up his end of the bargain.

“I am truly sorry, and tell you that all will be made right. I have been through a rough road and I am working hard to make it all right,” he wrote. “I will get everyone what they paid a lot of money for.”

The attorney general’s office said the matter is being dealt with through a civil lawsuit because criminal charges would require prosecutors to prove Mannix intended to scam customers.

Dave Canfield can be reached at 270-1290 or by e-mail at dcanfield@troyrecord.com.

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