Twelve criminal complaints filed by nine law enforcement agencies accuse the Lackawanna County-based travel agency of theft.
SCRANTON, Pa. — Note: The video above is from a previous article.
The amount of money allegedly stolen by a Lackawanna County travel agency rose to nearly $86,000 this week after nearly 20 people recently came forward and filed reports with police.
Eileen Miner, owner of Thompson Tours, has been charged in 12 different criminal cases filed in two northeastern Pennsylvania counties, each involving accepting money to book trips for customers. However, the claim was never made and the money was not refunded.
As of Wednesday, Miner, 69, faces 38 felonies and five misdemeanors for the theft charges. A phone message to an attorney named as part of her case was not immediately returned.
The investigation began earlier this month, when people who had booked trips to Italy through Miner’s agency contacted police to report that Miner had taken their money, canceled their trip, and disappeared without refunding their money.
This led to criminal charges against police officers from Scranton, Archibald and South Abington townships.
The next day, as news of her arrest spread, several more people came forward with their stories. Nearly 20 people told police they felt Miner had stolen from them, whether the trip was to Switzerland, the Virgin Islands or a quick bus tour to New England.
State police and local police officers in Moscow, Waverly Township and Blakely filed the new criminal charges, as did Wyoming Regional Regional Police in Luzerne County. Dalton police officers co-signed one complaint with South Abington Township police officers.
Miner remains in custody in Lackawanna County in lieu of bail, with a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Monday.
