Seabreeze High School Students Defrauded of $400k, VSO Says

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has an arrest warrant out for the owner of a Massachusetts travel agency for a massive fraud scheme against Seabreeze High School students, the agency announced Tuesday. 56-year-old Robert Goodwin is said to have scammed 104 Daytona Beach students and adult chaperones out of $400,000. According to the VSO, the students had each paid $3,550 or more to Stone and Compass Travel in May 2024 for a nine-day international trip to Italy and Greece. Goodwin is the owner of Stone and Compass. The money paid was to account for airfare, lodging, and excursions. The trip was all set to go until a month out, when Goodwin’s agency sent out an email to students saying that it was going out of business. The email reportedly said that no refunds would be offered. Stone and Compass’s website shut down shortly thereafter, and their listed phone numbers and email addresses became defunct. The alleged fraud has been investigated by the VSO’s Financial Crimes Unit, which opened a case in May 2024 after being referred by the State Attorney’s Office. Their findings show that Stone and Compass has been sued by several other entities, including St. Augustine’s Flagler College. These appear to allege similar fraudulent actions against those victims. Goodwin has been charged with two counts of grand theft over $100,000 plus two counts of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000.