Some marriage couples paid Jason Lottman owner of Champagne Manor $50,000 for wedding services, but Jason ran off with the money
Jason Lottman, 43, pled guilty to fraud in July 2026, he is the owner of Champagne Manor, a popular wedding venue in Monroe, North Carolina. Jason cheated customers out of $1 million worth of wedding services.
From October 2023 through January 2025, Lottman orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million from customers and investors connected to Champagne Manor.
Lottman marketed all inclusive wedding packages to customers interested in using his venue, that required customers to pay upfront for vendors such as caterers, photographers, florists, DJs, and hair and makeup artists, representing that Lottman would pay those vendors directly or reimburse customers who chose to use their own vendors. Then, Lottman failed to pay those vendors, leaving customers to pay out-of-pocket for services they had already paid for through Lottman.
Some couples looking to get married paid Lottman $50,000 for wedding package services. Lottman never provided the services. The many customers complained to police and a investigation was started.
As part of the scheme Lottman also solicited investments in Champagne Manor by promising ownership interests, guaranteed returns, or other financial incentives while making false statements to secure the investment money.
In mid-2024, Champagne Manor defaulted on its mortgage and foreclosure proceedings began. Even though Lottman knew the venue was in severe financial distress and would ultimately cease operations, he continued to solicit payments from customers and investors, while concealing the venue’s dire financial condition.
To induce victims Lottman made numerous false representations, including claiming that Champagne Manor was acquiring a glass ballroom that would serve as collateral for certain investment programs. In reality, the ballroom was never purchased.
Lottman also offered customers investment style programs and promotional discounts that promised future repayments or refunds that he knew he could not fulfill.
In furtherance of the scheme, Lottman falsely represented to victims that they would receive payments by certain dates. When he missed making the payments, Lottman repeatedly misrepresented the reasons for the delayed payments.
Cops were able to arrest Lottman via a fake Facebook Market Place deal. Cops acted as customers and arranged to buy products from Lottman. When Lottman showed up to the buying site, the undercover police arrested him for the fraud charges.
In July 2026 Lottman pled guilty. The statutory maximum penalty for the wire fraud charge is 20 years in prison. Lottman’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has not been set.
