Yavapai County Sheriff's deputies Wednesday released from jail the 41-year-old Sedona man they are accusing of impersonating a licensed justice of the peace.
The suspect, Allen Elfman, posted a $750 bond and is to appear for his arraignment at 1 p.m. next Tuesday in Yavapai County Superior Court in Prescott before Judge William Kiger.
Deputies booked Elfman into the Camp Verde Detention Center Tuesday on suspicion of two counts each of fraud schemes, forgery, criminal impersonation, impersonating a public servant, tampering with a public record and theft.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office expects to charge Elfman formally today. The suspect, a website designer, on-air radio personality and former Sedona school board member, operates several enterprises in the community, including a local media website www.visitsedona.tv.
YCSO investigators and detectives, who will not comment further about this ongoing investigation, say Elfman married at least two couples without authority between September 2007 and September 2008.
They added that Elfman purported being an elected justice of the peace in Arizona and collected fees ranging from $250 to $650 to marry couples.
"We recovered a bunch of evidence in a search warrant, and we're going through some videos and some paperwork trying to track down other victims between now and the weekend," YCSO spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said.
In a phone interview with the Courier Thursday, Elfman denied claiming he was a justice of the peace, but he said he married "four or five" couples.
However, his website, www.allenelfman.com, has the words "Justice of the Peace" in bold type on the left side of his web page under the heading "wedding officiant" at the top of the home page.
Elfman said he obtained an ordained ministry card over the Internet from Universal Life Church five years ago, which permitted him to perform wedding ceremonies. He added he did not find out until Thursday that a company separate from the church mishandled his credentialing information.
"I'm going to be following up on that because I'm very upset that this happened," Elfman said. "I thought I was doing everything with perfect intentions and legitimacy."
Before each wedding ceremony he conducted, Elfman said he showed couples his ordained ministry card. The only fees Elfman says he charged were for producing videos and still photos of the ceremonies.
He added that he married two couples from Camp Verde and Sedona. Elfman performed his first ceremony in 2004 for a pair of friends who approached him about wanting a "simple marriage." Elfman said he did not charge a fee to this first couple and another one he knew.
The other two couples he supposedly married, including one from Connecticut that sought out Elfman via e-mail and traveled to Sedona for the ceremony, did not have any close ties to him. He said the Connecticut couple did pay him for his services.
"There's been no hiding or no misleading," Elfman said. "I always met with the couples beforehand. It was about them. It was not about me. If I've done anything wrong, I will rectify it. There have been no complaints by any of the couples."
YCSO detectives say Elfman has posted wedding videos on his website that show him signing a marriage certificate in one ceremony. In another video, they say he explains that the state authorized him to perform wedding ceremonies.
Since the investigation began, detectives have called and confirmed Elfman married at least four couples.
In some cases, the Yavapai County Clerk's Office received marriage certificates Elfman signed.
Prescott Justice Court Judge Arthur Markham said the couples Elfman married could get re-married easily, so to speak, with an official justice of the peace at their local courthouse.
Couples wanting to verify their marriage should visit the county clerk in the jurisdiction where they got married and ask for a copy of their certified abstract of marriage. The abstract shows the official wedding license and ceremony, which the clerk records.
Posted: Monday, March 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Angry Reader
What he did was so wrong. He took a special time in someones life and made a joke of it. He should be punished to fullest extent. People's lives are being torn apart.
Posted: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Article comment by:
Citizen
Vicki, here is your chance to do something about it. Good Luck and keep us updated.
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
... It's good he finally got caught for something.
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Dr, Kildare
I agree he has made a mockery of the legal profession, but then again so have many of the real judges.
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Santa Claus
Elfman looks like an Elf.
Is that name for real?
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Vicki Siedow
I am a licensed private investigator, and a Prepaid Legal Associate. I am very angry to have Elfman make a mockery of my profession, while deceiving and harming the public.
Elfman offers private investigative services, for which he is not licensed, another offense for which he should be charged. He offers Prepaid Legal Services on his website, which was not approved by PPLSI, and which is published in violation of their rules.
