Heather Willard / NewsBreak Denver / March 27, 2023
(Parker, Colo.) When Parker photographer Suzanne Nevill was charged with five counts of felony theft on March 13, many ex-clients and employees said they were unsurprised or excited to see her face consequences for what they called “long-standing” issues.
One ex-employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they have been in contact with detectives about a possible criminal investigation, discussing the cost, time and effort needed. Because of this, they said they were “not at all” surprised the charges were filed.
Nevill is charged with five counts of theft in the amount of between $2,000-$5,000. The offenses are dated to August 22, 2019 on the court’s online docket, but additional court documents allege at least one offense occurred as recently as Feb. 3, 2022.
The disgraced photographer’s ex-employee said they have been fighting to get paid for work they completed for Nevill through a civil lawsuit filed in Douglas County court. The employee said they were contracted to earn $100 per hour for photographing weddings as the main photographer, $50 per hour if they were contracted to be the second shooter for a wedding, and $75 per portrait session.
“I would shoot the needed session or event and provide her the images,” the ex-employee said. “No editing was expected from me. I stayed very busy shooting her clients.”
Court documents show Nevill still owes $4,000 in one civil case with anonymous plaintiffs.
“The way she started the agreement for payments was before the services were completed, we calculated a rough total and divided it up into monthly payments,” the employee said. “In theory, had she stayed on track, she would’ve been prepaying me for the services I completed on her behalf.
The photographer was employed by Nevill full-time in 2018 and said it “became clear” that often Nevill’s clients were not charged enough to cover the photographer’s fees. The employee is now part of a bankruptcy filing that, if Nevill complies with the terms, will take five years for her to completely pay the several thousand dollars owed to the employee.
“But she fell off the payment arrangement time and time again,” the ex-employee said. “I provided all services she expected of me and gave her all the images. I am still owed money, years later.”
According to Colorado Bankruptcy Court documents regarding Suzanne Nevill Photography and Becoming You Photography, Nevill sought Chapter 13 bankruptcy in October 2021. The filing describes two businesses and 30 individuals whom Nevill owed money, and a document filed on Dec. 9, 2022 showed that Nevill had paid $16,006 of the approximately $22,594 owed through the Chapter 13 Plan confirmed on April 6, 2022.
The ex-employee said they hope the felony theft charges result in a guilty verdict and a prison sentence.
”Parole just isn't enough to truly stop her from doing it,” the employee said, noting that Nevill has circumvented major payment processing platforms by using personal payment apps, like Venmo or CashApp. “Even if they prevented her from having a business license, that does not prevent her from taking people's money with a business front.”
Nevill is scheduled to appear in court for her criminal charges on April 17 and is scheduled to appear in Douglas County small claims court on April 26.
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