'Are you a con man?' Amish Acres' newest owner faces community backlash
"I said, 'Brad, are you a con man or are you just stupid?'" NAPPANEE, Ind. -- For nearly six decades, Amish Acres has been a beloved spot in Nappanee, but now, some in the community accuse the new owner of being a con man.
The tourist attraction and wedding venue first closed in 2020. Indiana Congressman Marlin Stutzman bought and ran it for a brief stint as "The Barns at Nappanee" before closing the property again.
After another auction, a new owner named Brad Juneau took over in October 2025. As of September 2026, it hasn't officially reopened.
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Juneau said he's faced problem after problem trying to reopen the property, which is complete with a barn restaurant, a theater, and shops. It's also a popular venue for tourists and weddings.
Since October 2025, an official opening date has been repeatedly announced, then postponed.
"We know there's been some false starts," said Juneau. "We were up against some things we had no idea about."
Juneau blamed "staffing" and "more and more things coming up."
In the meantime, Juneau can still throw smaller events in the property's front lot, including a summer family fun fair in late July 2026, where ABC57's Annie Kate met Juneau. At the time, she asked him about the online chatter surrounding him. Several had made social media posts claiming Juneau owed money.
He said that he's seen "a lot of negativity on some of the Facebook pages and this and that."
Online outrage against Juneau came to a head when it was discovered he double-booked a wedding in the restaurant barn.
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Brandon and Melissa Squibb quickly found their pre-wedding excitement turned to stress. They'd booked their wedding at Amish Acres years prior, under previous ownership, and said they met with Juneau when he took over.
Melissa said she gave Juneau a copy of the couple's wedding contract, and that he said he would honor it. She also said there was an issue when she went to pay him what was left of the wedding deposit.
"We were supposed to pay him $1500 for the rest of it. He overcharged me $180," said Melissa. "I asked him for months and months to get that back and I couldn't even get that part back."
Meanwhile, their wedding date loomed closer.
"And that's why I just kept saying, you know, I need to meet with someone," said Melissa. "Even if it's just 20 minutes to tell you where I want the tables, and where I want the DJ, and just simple things you do before a wedding. And he just didn't want anything to do with it. It was a burden to him."
About a week before the wedding, Melissa said Juneau sent her a text telling the couple the property had flooding problems, and they may need to relocate.
However, to anyone paying attention to Facebook, it became clear Juneau booked two couples for a wedding on July 11.
"We had had so many red flags throughout the whole situation, I just knew it was going to be so bad," said Melissa. "And I just thought to myself, you know, all these people, all my family members that have flown from across the United States to come, and the three years of planning, and just, it was heartbreaking. It really was."
Juneau said he didn't realize his mistake.
He claims he thought he had been communicating with one bride for months, when he was actually communicating with two. He said the Squibb's wedding was booked before he got there, and it wasn't put in his calendar properly.
"We know how important those are. Those are life events. We never would want anyone to have a negative experience here at Amish Acres," said Juneau.
The Squibbs were forced to move their wedding venue four days before the ceremony. Now, they want all their money back.
Juneau promised that mishap wouldn't happen again because the business "hired a wedding coordinator."
ABC57's Annie Kate spoke to a woman who said that this is not the case.
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Andi Swanson is a wedding photographer and owner of Andi Renee Studios in Elkhart. She says her attention piqued when she learned about the double-booked wedding situation.
She reached out to Juneau to confirm one of her events scheduled later in the year.
"I was like, 'I can help, but my services, there is a fee for them.' And Brad was willing to pay it, but we never received compensation," said Swanson.
Days later, she said she got a call from a couple hoping to get married at Amish Acres in August, thinking she was Brad Juneau's wedding coordinator.
"I had to inform them that no, I had not been hired by him, that I've never received payment, I've never signed any paperwork saying I was employed with him or by him," Swanson said.
Swanson saw the contract the couple signed, which she provided to ABC57.
"He promised them a full decor package," said Swanson. "He promised them food, he promised them a carriage ride. And I looked at him, I said, 'He promised you guys a carriage ride? With what? Because he doesn't have that."
Swanson says she warned the couple they need to relocate or at least have a backup plan.
Just days before that wedding was supposed to happen, the Indiana Fire Marshal's Office issued a stop work order at Amish Acres. Juneau cleared up that issue and got his permit restored, but a third wedding had now been ruined.
"How much worse can this get? How much deeper can this go? And I don't think it's done yet," said Swanson.
Swanson cut ties, but she said another couple called her thinking she is the Amish Acres wedding coordinator. She said this couple had a new wedding contract with Juneau.
"There are things that I see that I'm like, 'He's a bad guy.' Other parts I'm like, 'He's just really dumb,'” said Swanson. "I said, 'Brad, are you a con man or are you just stupid?'"
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When ABC57's Annie Kate asked the Squibbs if they believe he's a con man, they replied with "Oh yeah, absolutely." They cited "a history of aliases and arrests."
Brad Juneau's real name is "Michael Bradley Loftin." Police confirm Juneau has used at least 15 aliases over the years in multiple states.
One check given to a local vendor, viewed by ABC57, had the name "Michael Loftin" on it, under "Amish Acres Education Division Inc."
That check was given to Jimmy Le, owner and operator of his small business, Foam Party City. Juneau hired him for a foam party at Amish Acres on August 1. Le said he cashed his check and worked the party, but the money never showed up in his account.
He said he believes he received a bad check. Le also said that Juneau repeatedly tried to dodge or delay the issue.
"I reached out to Brad on multiple occasions, trying to get this resolved. He said he was going to send me an overnight check. Which I never received," said Le.
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Juneau has a laundry list of prior charges and convictions under different names for issuing worthless checks, with charges going back to the early 2000s.
In 2012 in Georgia, he was sued under the name Michael Brad Loftin Juneau for $50,000. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, under the name Michael Loftin, for issuing worthless checks over a decade ago in Louisiana. In 2025, he was sued for more than $7,000 for breach of contract with a car rental company in Louisiana because he never made the proper payments.
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Police told ABC57's Annie Kate they tried to confront Juneau about an out-of-state warrant, but Juneau fled into the woods when they showed up at his door. Juneau denied statements from police on this matter.
They also said when Juneau moved to the area, the U-Haul he drove was stolen.
Nappanee Police confirmed they are hearing the same complaints as ABC57, but until they can come forward with solid criminal charges, they remain hampered by what appears to be many civil cases against Juneau.
Detectives said they want to hear from anyone who believes this man ripped them off.
The 2025 lawsuit can be read here:
Details of the 2012 lawsuit in Georgia can be viewed on SearchGA.
Juneau's criminal history in Louisiana can be viewed on the state's Clerk Connect portal.