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Hudson Man Accused Of Swindling Travelers

By GEOFF FOX | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 24, 2009

HUDSON - Mario Lopez was out of jail for almost a year.
A former Miami resident who has served prison terms for grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, Lopez, 45, was arrested again today, accused of swindling more than $2,100 and two passports from people who thought they were paying for a trip to Ecuador, Pasco County Sheriff's Office records said.
Florida Department of Corrections records show that Lopez, of 7111 Heibner Ave., Hudson, was released from the Hernando County Jail on March 31, 2008, where he was sentenced to 1 year, 10 months for fraudulent use of a credit card.
Sometime after his release, Lopez, a self-employed travel agent, established an "MTV Tours" Web site that he booked trips through, a sheriff's report said.
In February, a pair of victims, ages 59 and 53, attempted to book a cruise on Costa Cruise Lines through Lopez, records said. Investigators say Lopez demanded more than $2,100 in cash for the travel arrangements and another $130 to renew the victims' passports.
When the victims called Costa Cruise Lines to confirm the booking, they were told that it had not been paid. Confronted by a deputy, Lopez said he was trying to borrow money from his parents to refund the victims, whose passports have not been returned, the report said.
Lopez' arrest record dates to 1999 when he was sentenced to a year in prison after the Miami-Dade Police Department arrested him for passing worthless checks. Three years later, he was convicted of forgery after being arrested by the same agency.
In 2004, he was charged with grand theft, forgery and exploitation of the elderly by the Miami Beach Police Department, and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Charged with scheming to defraud, Lopez was arrested by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office on Monday afternoon. He was released early this morning after posting $5,000 bail.