VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Victims are speaking out in a fraud case that left more than 100 Volusia County students and chaperones out of $400,000 after their overseas trip was canceled with no refunds.
This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for former Seabreeze High School student Gabe Slick.
Slick said, “I was sad, you know. You kind of stripped something I was looking forward to for a year away from me.”
It was also meant to be a family trip overseas for Jill Piazza and her family of four.
Piazza said, “I think the toughest part is just knowing that this company really took advantage of all of these families.”
In 2023, these victims—along with 102 Seabreeze High students and chaperones—each paid $3,500 to Stone and Compass Travel Agency for a trip to Greece and Italy, which never happened.
Seabreeze High teacher Chris Weinrich explained, “Some of the victims have gotten some of their money back. Others haven’t gotten anything back.”
The price covered flights, hotels, and excursions. But one month before takeoff, owner Robert Goodwin emailed Weinrich, saying the company was out of business and there was “no money to offer refunds,” according to investigators.
Weinrich added, “A lot of people were using their summer savings. They were working after school and saving a lot of money.”
Investigators say Stone and Compass’s website and contact information have been inactive since the trip was canceled.
Piazza recalled, “As soon as the company closed, they shut down the website, shut down the email, shut down their phone number. There’s no way to get in contact with them.”
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office is now issuing an arrest warrant for Robert Goodwin, owner of Stone and Compass Travel.
Slick said, “From all the money that we spent, we only got a couple hundred dollars back and a flight credit. So there’s obviously still a couple thousand dollars missing somewhere.”
Deputies say the agency was also sued by several other organizations with similar allegations, including Flagler College in St. Augustine. Goodwin faces charges of grand theft over $100,000 and an organized scheme to defraud.