ORLANDO,Fla. — It was supposed to be a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to renew their faith. Instead dozens of church members claim a woman joined their prayer groups just to sell phony travel packages.
Action 9's Todd Ulrich found victims from Orlando to Jacksonville who lost tens of thousands of dollars and still can't get any answers.
Maria Shults looks like someone's grandmother. She is seen in a photo attending a prayer group at Annunciation Catholic Church in Altamonte Springs.
Rosana Villarreal says Shults wasn't there to pray but to exploit their faith and trust. “She's using religion to con so many people.”
Shults told them she arranged a Holy Land pilgrimage through a South Florida travel agency. It would cost $4,500 each. The prayer group paid her and was not suspecting anything.
“She’s always sighting the Bible, she's always talking about in the name of God,” said Villarreal.
The trip was canceled at the last minute. Dr. Adalberto Henriquez and others demanded refunds, “Never returned emails, texts, nothing. She just disappeared,” he said.
Todd Ulrich checked receipts. Six members at Annunciation lost $28,000 and had lots of company. At least four other churches were targets, including Blessed Trinity in Jacksonville. Victims we found say they lost more than $100,000.
Henriquez expressed his frustration, “A person is out there stealing thousands of dollars and nothing happened to them.”
They filed reports with police and the Florida attorney general.
Action 9 found 3 recent Jacksonville addresses for Maria Shults. A house now for sale and empty, a complex where a guard said no Shults lived there and at another address all Ulrich found was a wooden fence and lots of trees.
Urich traced the Tour and Travel agency to a Miami warehouse and a cell number there.
“Where is the money? Do you have their money?” asked Ulrich.
“Oh my God. Oh my God, I never receive any money Mr. Todd,” replied agency owner Haydee Musiet. She denied any wrongdoing and said Maria Shults kept all the cash.
“I think it's a criminal case,” said Henriquez.
After our investigation started, Shults made some partial refunds, with no explanation.
The cases remain open at the attorney general's office.
WFTV
