Months after her wedding, a Cincinnati bride is still waiting to see her big day on screen, after federal agents seized a local videographer's hard drives that clients say contain raw and edited footage from dozens of ceremonies. Couples who paid thousands of dollars for long-form films and promised raw clips say they have been left scrambling for backups, paperwork and any clear answers. The videographer, who operates as Jeremy Scott Films, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy that lists dozens of clients as creditors.
According to Local 12, the federal seizure has stalled delivery for at least one Cincinnati-area bride along with other clients who say promised footage is locked away on storage devices taken in a court-authorized search. Local 12's reporting includes interviews with brides who say the edited films and raw files they were counting on are now out of reach.
Multiple agents from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were seen carrying items out of a Boardman home on February 19, including what appeared to be a Mac computer, according to WFMJ. The station reports the raid was executed under a search warrant and that investigators had not announced any criminal charges at the time of its coverage.
Couples fear they’ll never get footage
Couples from Ohio, Pennsylvania and beyond are named in the bankruptcy paperwork, and some now worry their long-form wedding films are sitting with federal investigators instead of on their living room TVs, WTAE reported. Alyssa Buchholz told Action News 4 that she and her husband paid about $6,000 for a Pittsburgh wedding film, calling it “the most important day of our life” and saying she fears the footage may never come back.
Bankruptcy filing lists at least 52 clients
The Chapter 7 petition lists more than 50 prepaid clients as creditors and states that certain projects could not be finished because the debtor's equipment was seized. The filing notes there is “no estimate on when or if” those items will be returned, according to reporting by PetaPixel and local outlets. Coverage also points out that the business previously received The Knot's “Best of Weddings” awards in 2021 and 2022.
Legal fallout and small-claims suits
At least one bride has turned to small-claims court in Mahoning County, seeking refunds and undelivered services, and court dockets show ongoing bankruptcy proceedings linked to the vendor's South Carolina filing, WFMJ reports. Attorneys for the videographer declined to comment to local stations, citing the active court cases.
What couples can do
For couples who hired this vendor or one in a similar bind, consumer advocates suggest starting with a written request for raw files and confirming whether the venue, a second shooter or even guests captured usable video that can be preserved. Hold on to every contract, invoice and email, check with your credit card company about possible chargebacks, and consider a small-claims case or a complaint to your state attorney general if the vendor does not deliver what was promised.
Local coverage notes that the FBI described the February removal of devices as a “court-authorized law enforcement activity” and has not publicly provided further details. The videographer did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to Local 12 and other outlets. For the couples caught in the middle of a federal probe and a bankruptcy case, the wait for their wedding memories has turned into a long, unwanted lesson in contracts, backups and what happens when a key vendor suddenly disappears.
