Former hotel worker ordered to pay couple back for stealing their wedding gifts

BEATRICE, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - A couple said justice is served after a former hotel employee has been found guilty of stealing their wedding gifts.

Nine months after Nicole and Brent McAllister’s marriage, a judge has convicted Joshua Wilcox of theft.

Authorities said Wilcox slipped into a locked banquet room at the hotel where the couple tied the knot and stole cards containing cash on their wedding night.

“I’m grateful we do get our money back and it wasn’t just swept under the rug,” Nicole McAllister said. “Justice took consideration and care for us and got what we needed back.”

After the wedding, the couple said their parents contacted all the guests who gave cash or gift cards and found the amount taken was $6,095.

WOWT previously reported that Wilcox denied the allegations, saying he had no idea what they were talking about.

But a judge ultimately found Wilcox guilty and sentenced him to 48 months of probation and restitution in the amount of more than $6,000.

“He [Wilcox] showed up at court with $4,500,” Brent McAllister said.

According to the McAllisters, Wilcox was ordered to make payments for the rest.

The couple said the money coming back to them means they can now afford to make additions to their wedding memories such as going on a honeymoon.

“We’re definitely going on our honeymoon and then save the rest of the money to start our lives with,” Nicole McAllister said.

As for the personal cards from family and friends, investigators said they believe Wilcox removed the money and gift cards before throwing them in a dumpster.

Copyright 2023 WOWT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.