San Jose event planner charged with stealing thousands in quinceañera money
San Jose event planner charged with stealing thousands in quincea?era money
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SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office on Thursday announced it filed charges against a man who allegedly stole thousands of dollars earmarked for quinceañera festivities.
What we know:
51-year-old Juan Martin Gaspar – who is also known by the name Juan Martin Barcenas – was arraigned on Sept. 25 on seven counts of felony grand theft for allegedly taking "large fees" from at least seven families who sought his services as a quinceañera planner, according to the district attorney’s office.
Authorities said Gaspar was a "well-known planner" who operated a company named "VIP Eventss." The payments he took from families between 2023 and 2024 were meant to cover the costs of venues and food, but authorities allege the vendors never received payment from Gaspar.
Juan Martin Gaspar – who is also known as Juan Martin Barcenas – was arraigned on seven counts of felony grand theft for allegedly taking "large fees" from families who sought his services as a quinceañera planner.
In some cases, the families would be confronted by unpaid vendors that would show up – sometimes on the days of the celebrations – demanding payment from them, according to the district attorney’s office.
Tens of thousands stolen, officials say
What they're saying:
One of the victims, Maria Torres, said she paid Gaspar nearly $20,000 to plan her daughter's special 15th birthday party, a significant moment in a young girl's life.
"He hadn't paid any of the people involved in the event. He didn’t have any money to pay me, and if I wanted to do the party, I had to pay them directly," said Torres.
Torres said there is strength in numbers, and only after multiple families came forward did the charges come.
"We are in WhatsApp chat and we are more than 30 families," she said. "What we want is justice."
Another mother, Nallely Chavez, who is not named in the DA's office complaint told us she lost $5,000 for her daughter’s quinceañera.
She said she had to have the party a year later, thrown as a sweet 16.
Salvador Gomez, who said he is planning on reporting his case to police, said he hired Gaspar for nearly $10,000.
He said family members chipped in to give his daughter the quinceañera she dreamed of when Gaspar didn’t deliver.
Although he said Gaspar paid him $700 back, he’s still short $8,800.
"He stole my money," Gomez said. "He never responded and when he responded, he lied to me."
Gaspar’s business Yelp page has multiple reviews with customers writing that they were ripped off.
"I didn’t have the dream party that I wanted to have for my daughter, that she wanted, but we were able to do it some other way," said Torres.
"A quinceañera is a very important event in a young woman’s life," said Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen. "The memories of that special day should be wonderful ones, not the memory of being ripped off by someone you trusted."
The other side:
Gaspar was released on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear again in court on Dec. 2.
KTVU reached Gaspar at his home address and he said he is working on paying everyone back, but that financial struggles caused him to close down his business last year. He said he plans to prove his innocence in court.
He was ordered not to work as an event planner while the criminal case is pending.
If convicted, Gaspar faces up to seven years in prison.
The Source: Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, victim interviews, Juan Martin Gaspar Barcenas
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