Man Charged for Scamming Videographer into Filming 9/11 Documentary

A man has been charged by police after he allegedly defrauded a videographer out of $2,500 to film a documentary about the September 11 attacks.

Police arrested Nelson Elberto Garcia after he allegedly scammed the unnamed videographer, who runs a video production company in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Garcia, of Metuchen, New Jersey, is charged with theft of services, a third-degree felony, and issuing bad checks in connection with the alleged scheme involving the 9/11 documentary project.

According to a news release by Warrington Township Police, 58-year-old Garcia contacted the videographer in 2024, claiming to be a millionaire whose parents died in the 9/11 attacks. Garcia contracted the videographer to film a documentary based on those claims.

On August 30, 2024, the videographer and his assistant drove to Edison, New Jersey, where they met Garcia and recorded roughly three hours of footage. Police say Garcia paid the videographer $2,500 by check and asked for it to be post-dated to September 4, 2023.

However, when the videographer’s bank attempted to process the payment, the account linked to the check was found to be closed, according to the police press release. The videographer made repeated attempts to reach Garcia but received no response. He then contacted the police.

Investigators identified Garcia as the suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On October 23, the Bucks County Sheriff’s Department took Garcia into custody and transported him to the Warrington Township Police Department, according to a report by Patch, The publication reports that Garcia was processed and arraigned by a judge, who released him on $25,000 unsecured bail.

PetaPixel has reported on a number of scams targeting videographers and photographers. In March, a photographer warned others about a elaborate “fake check” scam that began when he was hired for a seemingly ordinary shoot. A scammer posing as a client booked the photographer for a birthday party, then mailed a check for the fee plus an extra $2,000. Claiming medical issues, she urged him to forward the excess to an “event planner.” However, the overpayment check was fake, and the photographer recognized the scam before losing money.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, a small camera shop in Wisconsin lost more than $30,000 worth of equipment after being hit by the same rental scam twice within days.