New Bern travel agent books ticket to prison after Tuesday's guilty verdict
Craven County District Attorney Scott Thomas announced Tuesday afternoon that a former New Bern travel agent was found guilty of embezzling money from her customers.
Julie Ann Mincey, 58, of New Bern, was found guilty by a Craven County jury of nine counts of felony embezzlement and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses following a week-long trial that concluded Tuesday.
Mincey was sentenced to 44-59 months in prison (3-5 years) and ordered to pay $53,402.58 in restitution to the victims of her crimes, according to a news release.
"We appreciate the guilty verdicts by the jury after hearing the evidence in this case," Thomas said. "This has been a long process for the victims, investigators, and prosecutors. My office considers financial crimes of this nature a serious matter. We’re glad that a prison sentence and restitution were ordered.”
The release explained Mincey operated a travel agency in New Bern called Country Travel and Tours.
Throughout the trial, which began on August 1, prosecutors presented evidence showing that while operating the business, Mincey accepted thousands of dollars from dozens of local customers, promising each of them to book travel packages around the world.
Near the dates of their departure in September 2018, customers discovered no travel packages had been secured on their behalf and Mincey was unavailable to provide any explanation.
Investigators later learned that Mincey had traveled out of the country to Europe.
Mincey had not reimbursed any of her clients for their loss and many testified during the trial that they had not seen or heard from her since September 2018.
Investigators also performed an analysis of Mincey's business accounts. Between August 2017 and December 2018, instead of applying funds received on behalf of her customers as promised, Mincey conducted a series of transactions for her own benefit.
Transactions include making payments on personal credit cards for herself and her associates, making payments on a vehicle for an associate and transferring funds to her personal bank account.
Superior Court Judge John E. Nobles, Jr. presided over the trial and handed down the sentence.
Editor Trevor Dunnell can be reached by email at tdunnell@newbernsj.com. Please consider supporting local journalism by signing up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: New Bern travel agent found guilty of embezzlement
