Garden Grove man charged with selling bogus travel reservations to his customers

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16WF1775

Date: August 11, 2016

OCDA SEEKS PUBLIC’S HELP IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL VICTIMS OF TRAVEL AGENT CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING $40,000 FROM CUSTOMERS WITHOUT BOOKING TRAVEL ACCOMMODATIONS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of a travel agent who was charged today for defrauding approximately $40,000 from customers without booking or paying for their travel accommodations. Abdel Luis Rojas, 50, Westminster, is charged with nine felony counts of grand theft and two misdemeanor counts of petty theft. If convicted, Rojas faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in state prison. He is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 19, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-1, West Justice Center, Westminster.

At the time of the crime, Rojas is accused of owning and operating a travel agency in Garden Grove called AGS Travels. Between Jan. 15, 2016, and July 9, 2016, Rojas is accused of working as a travel agent and accepting payment from at least 11 different clients to book airline tickets, hotels, and various other travel accommodations.

He is accused of accepting approximately $40,000 from his clients and providing them with travel itineraries and confirmation numbers for their vacation without booking or paying for any vacation packages. The victims attempted to verify travel arrangements with their airlines prior to the trip to find out that their accommodations were invalid. Several of the victims reported the crime to the Garden Grove Police Department, who investigated this case and arrested the defendant on Aug. 9, 2016.

The investigation in this case is ongoing. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lee Smith at 714-896-7161.

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TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Roxi Fyad, Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486