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Michael J. Erzfeld, 40, ran Custom Events until his arrest in November. Erzfeld on Monday waived his preliminary hearing, where prosecutors would have had to present evidence showing why they believed Erzfeld is guilty. Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp ordered Erzfeld to return to court Jan. 26 for arraignment.
Erzfeld is accused of making purchases with credit card information obtained while he operated real estate classes. Investigators with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department have said Erzfeld would order goods either on the telephone or online and have the items delivered to a building or home that was not occupied.
When he was arrested, Erzfeld faced a single count of fraud. Four additional charges were filed Dec. 18.
In sworn statements from sheriff's deputy Heather VanGennip, Erzfeld is accused of:
* Purchasing $1,132 worth of wine from Schug Carneros Estate Winery in California that was delivered to Deerfield Lodge in Jackson. A FedEx driver took down Erzfeld's license plate number after finding Erzfeld waiting outside the locked lodge for the delivery.
* Purchasing a $3,020 champagne cooler from LaLique Boutique that was delivered to an unoccupied home on Ripken Way.
* Purchasing $2,334 worth of merchandise from Herend Store, a retailer of expensive decorative items.
* Purchasing a $782 porcelain elephant from Herend Store.
Along with the charges for credit card fraud, Erzfeld faces another felony charge of passing a bad check. That charge was filed Dec. 31, and he is scheduled to be in front of Kamp again Jan. 29 for an initial arraignment.
Since Erzfeld was originally charged in the case, six customers of Custom Events have filed lawsuits seeking to recover money paid for event planning. Five of the cases are filed in small claims court.
In addition, Erzfeld's wife, Becky Erzfeld, has filed for a divorce and for an order of protection. Becky Erzfeld has been named in some of the lawsuits from customers of the event planning business.
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I find it rather shocking to find out that Mr Erzfeld is married. Must have been a front.
Johanna, are you implying that married men don't enjoy fine wine, decorations, and porcelain elephants? Any how, Micheal was our wedding planner and exceeded our expectations - good thing we payed in cash.
Mike also did my wedding and did a WONDERFUL job!!! It was absolutely breathtaking!!! Thankfully, we paid with check or cash. It was also in the beginning of his career before he took the road less traveled. It is very sad that a man with so much talent has put himself in this situation.