Brazen Wedding Crasher Steals $100K in Cash and Gifts from Newlywed Couple

A California couple’s dream wedding turned into a nightmare after a brazen thief crashed their reception and stole tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and cash.

George and Nadeen Farahat had just tied the knot over the weekend, celebrating with friends and family at the Renaissance Banquet in Glendale. But while they were dancing and enjoying their first moments as newlyweds, an uninvited guest was plotting something far less romantic.

Security footage captured the suspect, dressed in a suit, wandering around the lavishly decorated ballroom for nearly 90 minutes. He used the restroom, ordered a drink at the bar, and even watched guests on the dance floor — before finally grabbing a clear gift box filled with envelopes containing cash and checks. The thief then slipped out a side door to a waiting getaway car.

“As soon as we found out what happened, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped,” bride Nadeen told ABC 7. “I ended up sitting on the dance floor, sobbing with my friends and cousins around me.”

Groom George estimates the stolen amount to be between $80,000 and $100,000. “As is tradition in our culture, most people give cash or checks as gifts for the newlyweds, so there was a box containing all the envelopes, the cards, the money from family and friends who were invited,” he explained to KTLA.

The couple is offering a $5,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest. Glendale police are investigating, but so far, no suspects have been identified.

Despite the devastating theft, George and Nadeen are trying to stay positive. “We had a wonderful ceremony at our church and a really fun party with our family and friends,” George said. Nadeen added, “Somebody said that if it rains on your wedding day, it usually means good things are to come. We’ll follow that same trend. We’re just really thankful.”