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She also used more than $200,000 to purchase Taylor Swift concert tickets in Florida. Coyne was arrested and charged in February 2026.
Federal prosecutors said Coyne spent significant amounts of the fraud proceeds on gambling. The money obtained through the alleged modelling arrangements was redirected towards personal spending rather than the opportunities promised to the family. The indictment included seven counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. Prosecutors alleged that she created false records connected to the modelling placements and impersonated a third party. The indictment also described significant gambling expenditures, including transactions involving the online sports betting platform FanDuel. Coyne later pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Michigan photographer Chanise Coyne, 46, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for defrauding a local family of more than $4.6 million through a child modelling scheme. Coyne pleaded guilty to wire fraud on May 19, 2026, after admitting that she falsely claimed the money would cover advance fees for the family’s young daughter’s participation in modelling events across the US. She used the proceeds for personal expenses, including gambling and more than $200,000 in Taylor Swift concert tickets in Florida. The court ordered her to pay $4,669,962.76 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release. On May 19, 2026, Coyne admitted that she obtained more than $4.6 million from a local family by falsely claiming that the funds would cover advance fees for their daughter’s participation in modelling events.She also admitted creating fake communications and invoices connected to the supposed placements. A federal court sentenced Coyne on September 22, 2026, to five years in prison. She was also ordered to pay $4,669,962.76 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after her imprisonment. Before the federal case became public, Coyne’s photography business was involved in a separate controversy concerning a cancelled Santa Claus photography session in November 2024.FOX 2 Detroit reported that Coyne cancelled the sessions and claimed that the Santa involved had mpox.
The DOJ confirmed that none of the money was used to place the girl in a modelling event.
Coyne created fake text messages, emails and invoices to support the supposed modelling placements, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Coyne falsely represented that the family’s payments would cover advance fees linked to their daughter’s participation in modelling events across the country, according to federal prosecutors. Gorgon Jr. said Coyne used a child’s aspirations to conceal a multimillion-dollar fraud against the family. Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said the scheme exploited the family’s trust for financial gain. Coyne returned the money to the Macomb Township family involved, according to the report.
She created fraudulent records, including text messages, emails and invoices, to make the supposed opportunities appear legitimate. US Attorney Jerome F. The station also spoke to the Santa, who showed messages related to the dispute.