Community Corner

Alleged Wedding Thief Waives Prelim Hearing, Remains Incarcerated

Joseph Patrick Franzone, Jr. was taken back to prison and awaits his August arraignment.

Written by Nicole Foulke

Joseph Patrick Franzone, Jr. of Bridgeport, who made headlines for his arrest warrant in connection to a William Penn Inn wedding gift theft in Lower Gwynedd, and then for his arrest in connection with a wedding theft at the RiverCrest Gold Club in Upper Providence, appeared in the Blue Bell District Court this afternoon and waived his right to a preliminary hearing, after which he was escorted by law enforcement back to a correctional facility.

According to Assistant District Attorney Lindsay O’Brien, who is prosecuting both of the matters, Franzone’s attorney, Matthew R. Kline, requested a reduced bail for his client from Judge Robert M. Sobek, which Sobek declined.  Currently Franzone’s bail is set at $150,000 for the Lower Gwynedd matter and $100,000 for Upper Providence.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nicole Bowie, the William Penn Inn wedding bride and victim of a wedding gift theft estimated at approximately $3,000 to $5,000, came to the courthouse with her family.  “I’m just happy that he’s staying in jail and I hope he gets convicted of his charges,” said Bowie.

O’Brien indicated that she would do what she could to bring justice to the families.  “This, as well as the Upper Providence case, were both incidents that were devastating to the couples,” she said.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Franzone is also under investigation in Chester county and Lancaster county for similar thefts, say police.

From now, said O’Brien, there would likely be a lag time for the next few months while paperwork is being processed and transferred.  Franzone’s arraignment in the Norristown courthouse will occur on August 28 of this year.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here