SAN ANTONIO — UPDATE: On March 2, 2021, Barragan of Cibolo admitted that he stole money and pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. He remains on bond, faces up to 20 years in federal prison for mail fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2021.
A 45-year-old Cibolo man is facing federal charges in connection with a scheme to take money from high school students under the guise of group travel opportunities.
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Tuesday charges George Barragan with three counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, Barragan perpetrated his scheme on at least six different high school student groups between May 2015 and June 2018, taking about $160,000.
KENS 5 investigated Barragan and his company in 2017. The business had multiple names, including EB Worldwide and Exhibit Travel, but it was accessed by the public through the website SeniorGradTrips.com.
The site promised "safe, fun-filled vacations with competitive prices," but that's not what some of their customers told KENS 5 they received.
According to the indictment, Barragan would accept payment for group trip up front, make reservations, and show them to his clients. He would then cancel the reservations and pocket the refund, leaving high school student groups without their trip reservations. In at least two instances, large groups of students arrived at the designated time and location to begin their trip, only to find out that their trip had been cancelled.
Barragan was released on bond. If he is convicted, he faces up to a mandatory two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft and up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the remaining mail and wire fraud charges, according to a Justice Department release.
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