CALIFORNIA — Detectives with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) have shared that 56-year-old Robert Goodwin, the owner of a Marblehead–based travel agency, has been arrested in connection with the alleged defrauding of more than 100 Seabreeze High School students and chaperones out of approximately $400,000 for an international trip that was canceled without refunds.
According to the VSO, Goodwin was taken into custody in California and is currently awaiting extradition to Volusia County. Sheriff Mike Chitwood stated that students and parents who lost money will be invited to the airport when Goodwin returns to Volusia County.
The investigation into Stone & Compass Travel began in May 2024 after the case was referred to VSO’s Financial Crimes Unit by the State Attorney’s Office. In 2023, 104 students and chaperones signed up with the agency for a nine-day educational trip to Italy and Greece scheduled for June 2024. Each participant paid at least $3,550 for airfare, lodging, and excursions.
About one month before the planned departure, the agency notified travelers by email that it was going out of business and that no funds were available for refunds. Shortly thereafter, the company’s website went offline, and all listed phone numbers and email addresses became inactive.
Goodwin later told The Marblehead Weekly in June 2024 that he believed he was the victim of a separate fraud scheme. He claimed he lost access to approximately $900,000 after moving funds to a new investment company, alleging his account was frozen and that the company became unreachable. As a result, he said he was forced to cancel between 20 and 30 summer trips just days before they were scheduled to operate, with the exception of eight trips departing from Marblehead.
Despite those claims, Goodwin has now been charged with two counts of grand theft over $100,000 and two counts of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000. His bond has been set at $4 million.
In interviews with The Marblehead Weekly, Goodwin previously stated that Stone & Compass Travel had refunded between 70 and 80% of payments to some schools and was continuing efforts to reimburse others. He said the process was slow due to the need to recover funds from overseas vendors, including hotels and travel companies, particularly in cases where payments were not made through third-party processors such as credit cards.
Goodwin also said Seabreeze High School had received close to 70% of its refunds, including flight credits. He maintained that the company itself had been “cleared of all wrongdoing,” despite multiple complaints and lawsuits.
According to VSO, the investigation revealed Stone & Compass Travel was being sued by several other organizations for similar allegations, including Flagler College in St. Augustine. Two Florida schools filed complaints with the Attorney General’s Office following the cancellations, and Goodwin filed a fraud complaint with New York Attorney General Letitia James related to his claims against the investment company.
The case remains under investigation as extradition proceedings move forward.
