Robert Goodwin is accused of defrauding 104 Seabreeze High School students, parents and faculty out of $400,000, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
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Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood is inviting anyone who lost money to a travel agent accused of scamming Seabreeze High School students, parents and staff, to join him in welcoming the agent when he arrives in handcuffs on Thursday, Dec. 18, at Daytona Beach International Airport.
An extradition team is bringing Robert Safford Goodwin, 56, to Volusia County to face four felony charges: two counts of money laundering more than $100,000 and two counts of organized scheme to defraud greater than $50,000.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office stated in September that Goodwin had “defrauded” 104 students and chaperones from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach out of $400,000.
Chitwood in a social media post on Wednesday, Dec. 17, invited people who allegedly were scammed by Goodwin to join him in greeting the travel agent at Daytona Beach International Airport at 5:45 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18.
“I’ll be standing here Thursday evening to welcome Robert Goodwin to Volusia County,” Chitwood said.
“If you lost money to this scumbag, you are welcome to join me and look him in the eye!!” Chitwood wrote.
Attorney General’s complaint says Seabreeze money not refunded
Goodwin ran a travel agency, Stone & Compass Inc., which collected at least $3,550 from each person for a 2024 student trip to Italy and Greece. About a month before departure, Goodwin notified the school that the trip had been canceled without returning the money to more than 40 parties, according to a complaint filed by the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Goodwin and his business are alleged to have sold the travel packages for a foreign study program in Italy and Greece on Nov. 2, 2022. The trip was to have taken place between June 13 and 26, 2024, according to a separate attorney general’s complaint.
That complaint stated the number of Seabreeze consumers known to have been “adversely impacted” was 43, totaling nearly $182,000.
The attorney general alleged Goodwin violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, citing Stone & Compass’ “deceptive business practices” involving students from both Seabreeze High and Flagler College in St. Augustine.
In all, Goodwin and Stone & Compass Inc., could face civil penalties totaling more than $1.8 million, according to the attorney general’s complaint, in addition to nearly $800,000 in restitution.
Flagler College group also owed money
That complaint alleges Goodwin and his company offered group travel packages to students and faculty at Flagler College for faculty-led, custom travel packages to Brazil, Cambodia, England, Nantucket, Scotland, Sicily, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Greece and/or Zanzibar.
Those customers paid between $2,800 and $5,000 for trips in summer 2024, the complaint alleges. “On May 3, 2024, three days prior to consumers’ planned departure date, defendants notified a representative of Flagler College via electronic mail that their group trips had been canceled,” the complaint alleges. “The Flagler College consumers repeatedly requested that defendants refund the payments that they had made for the canceled group trip. However, defendants have refused or failed to do so.”
News-Journal reporter Mark Harper contributed to this report.
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