Statesville man steals thousands from elderly in Alaskan Cruise scheme: Sheriff

Ciara Lankford
·2 min read
10

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Statesville man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the elderly in an Alaskan Cruise scheme, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said.

Last July, a fraud report was filed after deputies said an 83-year-old woman said she, along with several other elderly residents, had been tricked after booking an Alaskan Cruise through a travel agency, called Carolina Blue Tours, located in Statesville.

The elderly woman reported that exactly one day before her scheduled departure, the owner of the travel agency, Charles Eric Johnson, 43, canceled her trip due to personal reasons and did not issue her an immediate refund, the sheriff’s office said.

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During the months-long investigation, more victims were identified and interviewed. It was discovered that Johnson had taken payments in excess of $25,000 from all involved victims.

Search warrants were obtained for Johnson’s financial records, as well as his company’s account history with the Royal Caribbean, the cruise line hosting the Alaskan Cruise.

It was discovered that Johnson had been placing stolen funds into his personal accounts and funding personal trips. Johnson had also knowingly filed a fraudulent dispute with his financial institution where he denied taking a personal trip to New York, which led to him receiving approximately $4,030 as a result of the fraudulent dispute, deputies said.

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During a review of Johnson’s account history with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, it was found that Johnson had failed to book reservations for all of the victims who had paid for the Alaskan Cruise. “In fact, it was determined that Johnson had personally attended the cruise after informing all of the victims that the cruise had been canceled,” the sheriff’s office said.

Johnson has been charged with six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense. He was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, and transported to the Iredell County Detention Center.

Johnson was issued a $6,000 secured bond on his charges.

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