Portland Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud

Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Beth M. Rogers, 45, of Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to mail and wire fraud.

Court records show that Rogers operated TravelWise Cruises & Tours, a travel agency in Saco. Beginning in late 2011, Rogers began taking client money without making travel reservations for the clients who had provided the funds. She instead used the money to pay for the travel of other individuals who had booked travel through TravelWise. She misapplied money from more than 50 clients in this fashion until mid-2012, when her scheme was discovered.

Rogers faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.  She will also be required to pay full restitution to her victims. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Saco Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.