A Daytona-area travel agent who took money from Volusia County families for student trips to Europe has pleaded guilty and been ordered to repay more than $637,000, while a judge added 25 years of probation. The move finally brings a measure of closure after months of anger from parents and students who say their senior and college trips vanished with last-minute cancellations and little to no money back.
Judge orders restitution and lengthy probation
According to FOX 35 Orlando, Robert Goodwin pleaded guilty to two counts of grand theft and was ordered to pay more than $637,000 in restitution. The judge sentenced Goodwin to 25 years of probation and warned that if he violates probation or fails to make the required payments, he could be sent to jail.
How the student trip scam unfolded
Per the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Goodwin’s company, Stone & Compass, collected about $3,550 each from roughly 104 Seabreeze High School students and chaperones for a nine-day trip to Italy and Greece. About a month before departure, customers were told the agency was shutting down and that refunds were not available. Earlier coverage by WFTV reported that Goodwin was later arrested in California and brought back to Volusia County to face charges.
Partial repayments, big gap still hanging over victims
FOX 35 Orlando reports that Goodwin has so far paid about $194,000 toward his restitution, leaving more than $443,000 still outstanding. Melissa Heller, a parent who said her family spent roughly $7,000 on a trip that never happened, told the outlet, “I will not believe it until I have a check in my hand.”
Legal hurdles to actually getting the money
Legal observers tell local outlets that whether victims ever see the rest of the money will largely depend on Goodwin’s assets and income, since civil tools like liens, wage garnishments, and seizure of nonexempt property are the standard ways courts try to collect restitution. Federal bankruptcy and restitution law generally treats criminal restitution as nondischargeable, meaning it cannot simply be wiped out, but that protection does not guarantee quick payment and often leaves victims waiting on whatever property or earnings the defendant can realistically provide, as noted in legal guides on restitution and bankruptcy.
Victims wary but watching closely
For many families, the restitution order is at least a formal acknowledgment of the damage done, but it still does not add up to full reimbursement. Parents and students say they will be watching the collection process closely. Local authorities say they will continue to update affected families as the courts and enforcement officials work to recover what they can.
