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Lockard-Furry
Lockard-Furry
Southeast Texas travel agent Mary “Emily” Lockard-Furry was arrested June 18, following a Jefferson County grand jury indictment describing a charge of theft by deception. LockardFurry, who operates the Traveluxe Official travel agency, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Southeast Texas clients, as well as several from out of state, and offering nothing in return for their vacation payments.
Since Lockard-Furry’s actions became public via a viral social media post by Cydni Stegall that gained traction in local media outlets, the embattled travel agent and husband, Russ, began issuing refunds, former clients told The Examiner. Unfulfilled vacations paid in advance to both the Furrys were acknowledged in correspondence made available to The Examiner, as well as comments attributed to Russ Furry that allege his wife accepted payments on his account without his knowledge.
According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, refunds do not negate the criminal aspect of the alleged crime.
The initiative to help those victimized by Lockard-Furry was undertaken by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the law enforcement agency reported. The initial case of David and Whitney Ruffin of Chattanooga, Tennessee, investigated by both county agencies, resulted in the issuance of Lockard-Furry arrest warrant.
According to the probable cause affidavit that led to the arrest and indictment, the Ruffins scheduled a trip to Fairmont Chateau hotel at Lake Louise, Canada, for the price of $2,700, sending Venmo payments directly to Furry. Once the Ruffins arrived at the hotel on May 21, for what was to be their last vacation before welcoming their child, the couple was asked to provide their credit card to the front desk; the Ruffins assumed it was for incidentals. The next day, the Ruffins discovered a $4,418 charge on their card and contacted travel agent Lockard-Furry, who stated she was unable to call the hotel at the moment as her daughter was sick.
The stranded couple attempted to get the matter resolved several times throughout their stay, the affidavit detailed, and only received more excuses followed by an additional $3,800 charge upon checking out of the hotel because, the complainant reported, no payment record from Lockard-Furry or her business was ever applied to the stay.
The day prior to her arrest, LockardFurry’s home in Bevil Oaks served as the site of an executed search warrant.
“This investigation is ongoing, as there are many more individuals suffering loss as a result of Furry’s fraudulent vacation scam,” the sheriff’s office offered for comment. “The detectives of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will continue their work to assist them.
“If you feel you have been a victim of Furry’s crimes, please contact your local law enforcement agency to make a report. We ask that you then contact the JCSO Criminal Investigations Division at (409) 835-8411 to notify us of any additional investigations.”
Following her June 18 arrest for theft by deception, a state jail felony, Lockard-Furry was held at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility before being released on a $15,000 bond.
The Examiner’s original story is available online at https://www.theexaminer.com/news/furry-furiously-pay- ing-clients-claiming-fraud.