Man pleads guilty to bilking student groups
A man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to defrauding at least $150,000 from high school students who were expecting spring break getaways and a senior trip to Disneyland.
George Alberto Barragan, 46 of Cibolo, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Between May 2015 and June 2018, Barragan owned and operated several travel agencies, including EB Worldwide, Exhibit Tours and Senior Grad Trips, officials said.
Investigators said he was the only person in charge of the businesses. They said he negotiated and contracted with customers as well as booked and arranged travel accommodations for large groups.
Groups of students from six different high schools, none of whom were from San Antonio, had paid Barragan by check or through an online payment portal to book the trips for them, officials said.
Once he had the money, authorities said, Barragan made the reservations and provided confirmations and itineraries.
He then canceled reservations ahead of a trip and had the refunds deposited into his bank account, investigators said.
Barragan never notified the students of the cancellations. Instead, he continued communicating with the students, informing them that their plans were still on, officials said.
The students were from high schools in Arizona, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
In at least two instances, large groups of students arrived at the designated time and location to begin their trip, only to find it had been canceled, said.
In one case, the class of 2015 senior trip from Foothills High School in Pleasanton, Calif., had planned a trip to Disneyland, according to a previous report.
Instead of the luxury buses that were promised, they ended up with buses that were hours late, had no air conditioning and could not make it up mountain roads, according to the report. As a result, the students spent only an hour at the theme park.
Barragan remains out on bond. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for mail fraud, officials said.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 19 before U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. authorities