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Cruise Deal Goes Nowhere

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By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: March 25, 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 Tuesday, 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 state.
Florida Department of Corrections records show that Lopez, of 7111 Heibner Ave. in Hudson, was released from Hernando County Jail on March 31, 2008, where he was sentenced to one year, 10 months for fraudulent use of a credit card.

After his release, Lopez, a self-employed travel agent, established an "MTV Tours" Web site that he booked trips through, a sheriff's report states.

In February, a pair of victims, ages 59 and 53, attempted to book a cruise on Costa Cruise Lines through Lopez, records state. Investigators say Lopez demanded more than $2,100 cash for the travel arrangements and $130 to renew their passports.

When the pair called Costa Cruise Lines to confirm the booking, they were told it had not been paid. Confronted by a deputy, Lopez said he was trying to borrow money from his parents to refund the money to the pair, whose passports have not been returned, the report states.

Lopez' arrest record dates to 1999, when he was sentenced to a year in prison after the Miami-Dade County 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 Tuesday morning after posting $5,000 bail.

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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