A travel agency owner and operator who defrauded dozens of clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars recently pled guilty to 38 counts of theft.
The owner ran Thompson Tours, a well-known and once respected travel agency, for decades. Charges of theft and fraud filed against the 70-year-old West Pittston, Pennsylvania, resident damaged the reputation of the agency, which is no longer in business.
Ultimately, Eileen Miner was charged with theft in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Centre counties in Pennsylvania. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing has not been set.
A sign that the Lackawanna County business was in trouble came in October 2024, when a client reported concerns about a failed trip to Italy to the South Abington Township police. The customer told police he and his wife had planned the trip through Thompson Tours. He said they paid about $9,000 for the trip to Sicily and the Amalfi Coast. Three other family members had booked the same trip, bringing the amount paid to the travel agency to over $24,000.
The client told police that just hours before they were supposed to leave for their trip in October, they received an email that the trip had been canceled.
Police searched through state records for the defendant's name and found that Archbald police had a warrant out for her. The South Abington Township police contacted the Archbald police, who said four Archbald residents reported fraud and theft related to Thompson Tours.
Further investigation indicated that the defendant had been found in the parking lot of Mohegan Pennsylvania in Plains Township attempting self-harm earlier that week and was at a facility receiving treatment. Police suspected she was using her business funds to bankroll a gambling problem and obtained a warrant for her account activity.
Investigation into the crimes showed a pattern of deceptive behavior that included forging travel confirmations, providing fake itineraries, and making false promises of refunds. Geraldine Gibbons, "Travel agent pleads guilty to defrauding customers in four counties," www.yahoo.com. (Sep. 18, 2025).
Commentary
The Association of Retail Travel Agents (ARTA) Code of Ethics states:
As an ARTA Member, members have acknowledged the following Code of Ethics, which reads, in part:
ARTA Members will remain knowledgeable in the area of travel and offer current, accurate information using resources made available to them by industry suppliers. They will advise their clients of their options so that the client may make an informed choice.
ARTA Members, when acting as agents for travel suppliers, will receive and distribute all funds in a timely manner through the proper distribution channels.
ARTA Members will remain conscientious in preserving the confidentiality of their clients' information.
ARTA Members will comply with all federal, state/provincial, and local laws that relate to the travel industry and the business community.
In professional appearance, behavior, courtesy, ethics, knowledge, etc., ARTA Members will make every effort to increase and maintain the respect of the general public for travel professionals.
A travel professional should always aspire to uphold these principles, which will go a long way to minimizing their risk of customer dissatisfaction, reputational damage, and possible legal entanglements.
