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After paying local travel agent Mary “Emily” Lockard-Furry $6,000 in a rush last June for a dream vacation abroad, Alicia Taylor and daughter Cydni Stegall were forced to settle for the sunny sands of Destin, Florida, instead. So, during a time when they were supposed to be basking on an array of stunning beaches and parading through picturesque villages in Santorini, Greece, sipping on fine wines and enjoying a lavish catamaran cruise alongside the Caldara cliffs, Taylor and Stegall were instead forced to spend that time re-evaluating their loyalty to longtime travel agent – and family member – Furry.
A decade after beginning her journey with Traveluxe Official L.L.C., Beaumont businesswoman Furry finds herself in hot water with numerous customers claiming their travel agent took thousands of their hard-earned dollars with promises of luxurious vacations never provided. The hubbub may have started with Taylor and Stegall outing Furry on social media, but the motherdaughter duo claiming shenanigans were not the only ones to allege fraud at the hands of Furry. Once news began to spread of Furry’s fraudulent ways, she and husband Russ began scrambling to send refunds this week, victims tell The Examiner – although it could possibly prove to be too little, too late with regard to potential criminal charges.
Too good to be true
“She had a flash sale on her business page for $3,000 per person to go to Greece, but the trip had to be booked by 5 p.m. that day,” Stegall said of the adventure her mother booked roughly a year ago. “My mom and stepdad jumped through all the hoops to make sure they got the money to her via Venmo and Zelle before 5 p.m. but it seemed strange she was in such a rush when Venmo was limiting the daily transaction amount and insisted on them wiring her the money if they could not figure out how to get it to her digitally.”
Taylor originally planned to go to Greece with her husband but, when his job schedule wouldn’t allow, he graciously offered Stegall the opportunity to take his place.
“Mom and I spent the last six months planning this dream vacation together and, after giving us the run around, Emily finally met with us once at a coffee shop to get some specific questions answered,” Stegall said, adding that she found it frustrating that her cousin had a myriad of excuses not to meet up for months. “The lack of communication and excuses were our first red flags.”
More flags were to come. After planning tours and dinners and a catamaran ride, Stegall became frustrated that Furry didn’t seem to be making arrangements; Stegall decided to call the hotels for which Furry sent her confirmation, only to find out the stays had not been paid for and were booked with an expired credit card. Two weeks from take-off, Stegall learned that the flights were not confirmed, and things kept changing.
Planning to leave on June 3, and with no hotel reservations or flights, Stegall and Taylor were uncomfortable with the prospect of possibly arriving in a foreign country without safe and secure arrangements.
“I finally told my mom, ‘This is not safe,’ and we cannot go without having anything locked in and we were six days out,” said Stegall.
Confronting Furry was tense; Stegall informed Furry that she was aware the travel agent had recently been served in a civil lawsuit from a lady in China, Texas, alleging Furry had taken her money and never booked their vacation; she told her of her own findings for the vacation she was taking with her mother; and Stegall told Furry to give her mother her money back. After a bit of digging, Stegall also uncovered several complaints with the Better Business Bureau alleging Furry had stolen thousands of dollars from other local customers, as well – further ammo to get a refund.
With no refund forthcoming, the mother-daughter duo went to Beaumont Police Department, where they were advised to file a criminal complaint in their home county of Hardin County. In addition, Stegall took to Facebook to warn others about Furry’s fraudulent services, only to find hundreds of other customers claiming thousands of dollars had been stolen from them, too.
Civil suits were soon uncovered throughout multiple counties and states, which included a recent abstract of judgment filed at the Jefferson County District Clerk’s office ordering Furry and Traveluxe Official L.L.C. to pay $210,000 to Dawn Guy, as well as a case in Hardin County for over $20,000.
Captain Trish Molfino with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office confirms knowledge of several local complaints being made, as well as more pending from alleged victims from out of state.
The consequences, though, of whether Furry is facing civil or criminal charges, has yet to be determined and will be done on a case-by-case basis. According to Intake Attorney Cory Kneeland with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, a local case has not yet been referred to his office for potential criminal prosecution, but he said the key to determining civil or criminal charges is “intent.” Kneeland also said that, if a service is simply bad or doesn’t come through all the way for clients, cases often end up in civil court. However, if the businessperson takes money and does not provide a service in exchange – for example, doesn’t book a flight or reserve a hotel at all, “criminal charges are likely,” said Kneeland.
The challenge, according to Kneeland, is to have a victim willing to move forward to prosecute criminally.
“We may be losing victims willing to participate left and right,” Kneeland said on the eve of publication, given that, as of Tuesday, June 4, Furry and her husband were quickly refunding customers through both of their business Venmo and Paypal accounts. Stegall and her family were among those receiving renumeration.
Still, Kneeland added regarding potential criminal charges, paying someone back after the fact does not negate the crime.
“It would be like robbing a bank and saying, ‘Never mind, here’s your money back,’” Kneeland quipped. “A crime is a crime even if you try to make good on it.”
Kneeland also reported knowing of more than one alleged victim outside of Texas claiming to have sent money to Furry electronically and is/was claiming not to have received a trip in exchange.
“If a customer wires money electronically across state lines and has been a victim of fraud, that’s a federal crime,” Kneeland added, indicating that, although maybe a bit premature, he believes it is likely that the DA’s office will end up picking up several criminal cases against Furry; depending on the circumstances of who received the funds specifically, Furry’s husband could also be potentially liable.
At press time, allegations were losses exceeding a half-million dollars. Those wishing to file complaints against Furry and Traveluxe Official L.L.C. are encouraged to contact their local policing agency. Sergeant Dean Oliver with the Beaumont Police Department can be reached at (409) 880-3830 and Detective Chad Williamson with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (409) 835-8411.