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Travel agency owner accused of school trip scam
A Massachusetts travel agency owner is accused of defrauding Seabreeze High School families out of $400,000 for a canceled Europe trip.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Volusia County deputies have issued an arrest warrant for a Massachusetts travel agency owner accused of defrauding more than 100 high school students and chaperones out of $400,000 for a class trip to Europe that never happened.
What we know:
Volusia County deputies have issued an arrest warrant for Robert Goodwin, 56, the owner of Stone and Compass Travel, after investigators said he defrauded 104 Seabreeze High School students and chaperones out of more than $400,000.
According to detectives, families paid at least $3,550 each for a nine-day trip to Italy and Greece, scheduled for June 2024.
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Goodwin faces two counts of money laundering over $100,000 and two counts of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000, with his bond set at $4 million.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not said whether Goodwin has been located or taken into custody. It also remains unclear whether families will recover any of the money, given the company’s bankruptcy claim and multiple lawsuits against it.
The backstory:
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office began investigating Stone and Compass Travel in May 2024 after a referral from the State Attorney’s Office.
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The company had emailed families a month before the planned trip, saying it was going out of business and could not issue refunds, according to investigators. Soon after, its website and phone lines were taken down.
Detectives later discovered that the agency was facing lawsuits from other organizations, including Flagler College in St. Augustine, over similar claims of fraud.
What they're saying:
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the warrant reflects months of investigative work after the referral from prosecutors.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.