She is accused of spending the funds on personal expenses rather than refunding parents after the trips were canceled.
A San Diego-based travel agent has been charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Orange and Los Angeles county parents for eighth grade school trips to the East Coast that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marie Colette Martin, 52, pleaded not guilty on Monday, Dec. 5, to 27 felony counts of grand theft and seller of travel violations, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. She is accused of embezzling more than $415,000, spending the funds on personal expenses rather than refunding parents after the trips were canceled.
In 2019, Martin solicited funds from more than 150 parents at nine schools that were planning trips to Washington D.C. and other East Coast locations during the 2020 school year.Carden Conejo – Westlake Village, $22,287Our Lady of Fatima – Artesia, $29,220Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School – Newport Beach, $34,549St. Bonaventure Catholic School – Huntington Beach, $167,885When the trips were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the parents requested refunds.
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