Crime & Safety

Man Stole Gift Box From William Penn Inn Wedding, DA Says

An arrest warrant has been issued for convicted felon Joseph Patrick Franzone Jr., 35, after he allegedly stole thousands of dollars of gifts from a wedding at the William Penn Inn.

Written by Keith Heffintrayer with additional reporting by Brittany Tressler

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman has announced that an arrest warrant has been issued for 35-year-old Joseph Patrick Franzone Jr., in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars of wedding gifts from the William Penn Inn.

Franzone, who served jail time for burglary in 1996 and theft in 2004, has been charged with theft and related offenses after he allegedly crashed the wedding and stole between $3,000 and $5,000 of gifts, according to the press release. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.
The incident occurred on July 7, when members of the Lower Gwynedd Police Department responded to the William Penn Inn for a report of a theft from a wedding reception. Family members were helping the newlyweds carry their wedding gifts to their vehicle, but upon one of the return trips to the vehicle, they noticed that some of the gifts were missing, according to the report.

A review of the surveillance footage shows Franzone "casing the reception and parking lot," police said. During the ensuing investigation, police learned that Franzone had used his girlfriend's car that day, and they found an envelop inside of the vehicle that had been given to the newlyweds from two guests at the wedding, the report states; an arrest warrant for Franzone was issued a short time later.

Franzone has a lengthy criminal record, pleading guilty to receiving stolen property in 1995, seven counts of burglary in 1996, drug charges in 2000, and theft by taking in 2004, according to court documents.  

Lower Gwynedd Police are requesting that anyone with information regarding Franzone's present location contact them at 215-646-5303.


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