Travel agent scams college team out of trip and uses money to go to Mexico, feds say
A travel agent pretended to arrange a Bahamas trip for George Mason University’s basketball team, whose players learned their flights were never booked hours before they were supposed to fly out to Nassau in August, according to court documents.
Maurice Smith and his Atlanta-based travel agency, Eugene Toriko LLC, scammed them out of the trip and defrauded George Mason University out of nearly $110,000, federal prosecutors said.
The university, located in Fairfax, Virginia, said it was “extremely disappointed” over the trip’s “last-minute cancellation” in a statement shared Aug. 12. The men’s basketball team was set to visit the Bahamas for a foreign tour.
Smith, who markets himself as a luxury travel advisor, used the university’s money to pay for his own travels to Tulum, Mexico, and Panama City, Panama, and to repay others he’s accused of scamming, according to an affidavit.
Smith, 44, of Atlanta, was arrested Dec. 12 on wire fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced in a news release.
Smith is listed as the CEO of Eugene Toriko, which didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment. Information regarding his legal representation wasn’t listed in court records as of Dec. 13.
How the scam unfolded
In June 2023, representatives for George Mason University’s basketball team reached out to another company about organizing the August 2024 Bahamas trip, according to prosecutors.
The company, identified only as “company A” by prosecutors, involved Smith in arranging the trip’s plans and later took the blame for its sudden cancellation, an affidavit says.
Smith helped draft an itinerary and cost estimate for the five-day trip and was “supposed to handle all travel arrangements,” an affidavit says.
Despite this, a contract signed by GMU representatives and company A about the trip — which was “reviewed and edited” by Smith — made no mention of Smith or his company, Eugene Toriko, according to the affidavit.
“Per the contract, Company A was to provide” travel services that it trusted Smith to handle, the affidavit says.
This included the basketball team’s transportation, a room block at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamas, a private catamaran tour and “some meals for 30 people” and more, according to prosecutors.
George Mason University paid company A $109,756.07, which paid the money to Smith for the travel services, according to the affidavit.
Smith reserved 30 seats on round-trip flights between Virginia and Nassau for the team, its coaches and supporters, prosecutors said. To keep the flight reservations, he needed to pay a $3,000 deposit in May and the full balance in July, according to prosecutors.
He also reserved hotel rooms, prosecutors said.
However, prosecutors said “Smith allegedly spent no money to hold those reservations, and no payments were made to any catamaran companies or to any Bahamian companies.”
Weeks after Smith received the first deposit payment for the university’s Bahama trip, he used some of the money to visit Mexico in May, and then Panama in June, according to the affidavit.
Bank statements revealed Smith “used GMU’s money to pay for, among other things, his airfare, hotel accommodations, and/or meals for those trips,” the affidavit says.
Smith kept representing to company A that travel arrangements were secured “up until three days before the basketball team was scheduled to depart,” according to prosecutors.
The company, The VII Group, though not specifically mentioned by prosecutors, announced the trip’s cancellation in an apology George Mason University shared in its Aug. 12 statement.
“This unforeseen outcome is not only a profound disappointment to all involved but a failure that we at The VII Group take full accountability for,” The VII Group said.
“The impact on the student-athletes, who have spent months preparing for this experience, cannot be overstated,” the statement said. “The coaching staff, who have worked tirelessly to plan and coordinate this opportunity, deserve better.”
After the FBI launched an investigation into accusations that the university might’ve been defrauded, the agency learned of Smith’s scheme, according to the affidavit.
Before his arrest, Smith claimed his professional liability insurance could reimburse George Mason University, prosecutors said.
However, this wasn’t possible because he wasn’t insured, according to prosecutors.
George Mason University “has not been reimbursed,” prosecutors said.
The VII Group didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
In an emailed statement to McClatchy News on Dec. 13, a George Mason University spokesperson said: “We offer our sincere gratitude to the FBI and their investigative team for their thorough work throughout this process.”
“Our university continues to work to recover funds paid for the canceled foreign tour,” the spokesperson added.
Smith could face up to 20 years in prison if he’s convicted of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
People convicted of federal crimes often receive a sentence below the maximum penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Travel agent scams college team out of trip and uses money to go to Mexico, feds say."
.jpg)