Band of Brothers tour organizer from Grafton pleads guilty to larceny charge
WORCESTER — A Grafton man was ordered Thursday to serve three months of probation and to pay $50,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to one of 12 counts of bilking people out of thousands of dollars for tours of World War II historic sites in Europe that he failed to organize.
John J. “Jake” Powers, 55, pled guilty Thursday at the Worcester Superior Court to one count of larceny for taking $8,500 in two payments in 2014 from Russ Anderton of Alpharetta, Georgia, for an all-inclusive tour of a World War II battle site.
Powers did so under a business called Band of Brothers Tours, which he ran from his home in South Grafton, according to Assistant District Attorney Anthony H. Melia.
“In addition to organizing the tours, (Powers) would also serve as a guide and historian on these tours charging $200 per day,” Melia said. “By June 1, 2014 (Powers) canceled the tours for 11 witnesses, and none of the total 12 complaining witnesses were reimbursed.
“In each instance (Powers) would regularly avoid returning phone calls and emails.”
While 11 alleged victims had their tours cancelled before the tour dates, Anderton was the only one who flew to Europe with his family expecting to go on a tour in England.
Melia said Powers received the second of two payments from Anderton June 5, 2014.
Through Zoom, Anderton made an impact statement in court Thursday, saying that after the payment, he travelled with his family of four to Sherborne, England, in June 2014 for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Upon arrival, Anderton and his family quickly realized that Powers was nowhere to be found.
“Picture yourself as a family of four in Europe for the first time, arriving at Sherborne and there is no guide,” said Anderton said. “This guide had arranged all of your hotels, all of your transportation, et cetera.
“So what do you do? You're literally stranded in Sherborne with no place to stay, no transportation.”
Defense attorney Stuart M. Hurowitz said Powers was prepared to make a $50,000 restitution payment Thursday as he held up a white envelope for Judge Janet Kenton-Walker.
Kenton-Walker said for the other 11 counts will be dismissed after Powers completes his three-month probation.
If Powers were to violate the law during that period, Kenton-Walker said that the counts would be reinstated for her to consider prison time for up to five years — the maximum punishment for 12 counts of larceny over $250.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Band of Brothers tour organizer John J. Jake Powers pleads guilty
