After a nearly year and a half investigation, a 39-year old Scottsburg woman who contracted with clients for her photography business has been charged in Scott Circuit Court with 10 felonies including corrupt business influence and nine counts of theft.
Stephanie L. Collins, 39, of the 100 block of S. 3rd Street in Scottsburg was booked into Scott County Jail on Oct. 29.
Indiana State Police Detective Brian Busick began the investigation in June 2025 when he was contacted by a victim claiming fraud & theft involving photographer Stephanie Collins and her photography business SJC Photography.
The victim told the detective that in February 2025 she had seen on Facebook that Collins had a photography business and was offering to take photos for fathers and daughters together wearing tutus.
A date was scheduled in March for the photo session and Collins was paid $75 through Facebook Pay. The victim told the officer that on the day the photos were to be taken Collins cancelled claiming that she had “messed up the date and that she was currently in Florida. The victim rescheduled the photo session for June but Collins again cancelled claiming that her husband’s grandmother had died.
When the victim asked for a refund, Collins told her that she would give her a refund but never did, according to the court probable cause affidavit.
That was when she contacted ISP to report the alleged crime. The victim gave Busick the names of other possible victims.
Busich spoke with 14 other victims all telling similar stories of booking photo session, paying an upfront fee for sessions for maternity photos, Valentine photos, wedding photos, family photos, with the same operational motive of Collins canceling.
According to the court document, Collins allegedly bilked the interviewed victims out of pre-paid fees as low as $40 and as high as $602.50 for photos booked but never taken.
When Det. Busick met with Collins, he explained that several people had reported that they paid her to take photos and that she would cancel and not refund their money.
Collins told the detective that she tried to reschedule with almost all of them. The detective told her of text messages where she was canceling on people and when they ask for their money back, she tells them she does not give refunds.
Busick told her that she was the one canceling and these people did nothing wrong.
Collins told the detective that she in trying to pay them all back.
When Busick asked Collins why she had been blocking them on Facebook from contacting her, Collins replied, “That was my bad on blocking them,” according to the probable cause.
The ISP detective told her that she appears to pay people back who threaten her with legal action or getting law enforcement involved, according to the court document.
Busick reported that a search of the Indiana Business Entity website did not locate any entry for SJC Photography,
After Collins was booked into Jail, Scott County Circuit Court Judge Jason Mount set her bail at $50,000 payable with 10% cash. Collins paid $5,000 and was released from jail Nov. 1.
