ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headline of release should read: ARC Acknowledged by Manhattan District Attorney for Contributions on Criminal Conviction (instead of Manhattan District Attorney Thanks ARC for Assisting in Criminal Conviction).
The corrected release reads:
ARC ACKNOWLEDGED BY MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR CONTRIBUTIONS ON CRIMINAL CONVICTION
Travel Agent Vivian Cheng Found Guilty for Defrauding Customers and Host Agency
Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., recently acknowledged Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) for its assistance in the conviction of New York City travel agent, Vivian Cheng, for stealing approximately $45,000 from her customers. Cheng used customers’ credit cards without their authorization or permission to purchase tickets for other travelers who had previously paid for their airfares, sometimes in cash. This, in turn, exposed the host agency with which she worked to monetary losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In a news release issued by the District Attorney’s Office, Vance recognized ARC fraud prevention team members Doug Nass and Christine Hettich for their assistance with the investigation leading up to Cheng’s arrest.
Cheng pled guilty in New York Supreme Court to Grand Larceny and Scheme to Defraud. As part of her plea, she has agreed to pay back $500,000 in six months to her victims or otherwise face 28-84 months in prison.
In the scam, customers of Bestway Travel, owned by Cheng, paid for round-trip airfare only to receive one-way tickets or no tickets at all. Cheng’s agency was located in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood and many of her victims were elderly members of the Chinese-American community. According to the District Attorney’s Office, “Some travelers were left stranded overseas, having to pay for new tickets out of pocket, or were prevented from taking their trips entirely.”
More detailed information about this case is available at http://bit.ly/1TH72nF
About ARC:
ARC powers the U.S.-based travel industry with premier business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools, and powerful data analytics. In 2015, ARC settled $88.3 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for more than 9,400 travel agencies with 13,000 points of sale. By providing world-class business services and products, ARC enables participating agencies and over 200 carriers to focus on what's important—increasing their revenue. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com.
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