A Monroe County Sheriff vehicle.
Joshua Carter
Belleville News-Democrat
A Florida woman who was wanted on charges in Monroe County for an alleged travel agent scheme has been apprehended.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest in a release on Monday. Jennifer Leanne Smith, 47, of Maitland, Florida, is in the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County, Florida, as of Monday afternoon, the jail records show. The records say she was booked on Sunday.
Smith will remain in custody in Florida until she is extradited to Monroe County, the sheriff’s office said.
“Jennifer Smith may have believed she could take advantage of our citizens, but investigations do not stop at state lines,” the post said.
A previous news release from the sheriff’s office alleges a Monroe County resident booked two vacations through Magical Trips by Jennifer and paid more than $10,000 in deposits, but the reservations were never made.
Others in the area reported submitting electronic payments and purchasing gift cards during “flash sales,” but also never had trips booked. Combined losses “totaled tens of thousands of dollars,” the release said.
Smith was identified as a suspect and charged in Monroe County with two Class 2 felony counts of theft by deception and two Class 3 felony counts of fraudulent business practices, the release said.
In Illinois, theft by deception is a Class 2 felony when the amount involved is more than $10,000 but less than $100,000. The release said the Class 3 felony counts of fraudulent business practices involve amounts of less than $10,000.
The case stems from a Monroe County Sheriff’s Department initiative called Operation Safe Trust, which targets fraudulent and deceptive business practices, the release said.
The sheriff’s office also is investigating other cases involving suspected fraud, identity theft, financial exploitation, contractor fraud and other deceptive business practices involving victims in Monroe County and, in some cases, nearby communities and states, the release said.
“The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department extends its sincere appreciation to our law enforcement partners in Florida for their professionalism, teamwork and assistance in bringing this case one step closer to justice,” the sheriff’s office posted Monday.
According to Seminole County inmate information, Smith also has a fugitive warrant out of Nevada on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses.
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