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Mom, daughter accused of stealing $30K from tourists in Florida rental scheme

By Len Kiese and Kelly Healey
By Len Kiese and Kelly Healey
A mother and daughter accused of scamming renters out of thousands of dollars in Central Florida are behind bars Friday.
Investigators said Marion Verner and Kelly Price advertised inexpensive vacation villas, but customers ended up getting kicked out of their rentals without getting refunds.
As the complaints piled up, the pair disappeared.
The so-called vacation rental properties were not theirs to rent, and but after a year and a half in hiding, authorities said they caught them in a small Texas town.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement filed a 25-page report on the duo. Some of the advertised properties were in a gated community in Kissimmee.

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Victims believed they booked a dream deal, only to find out the rental homes were not valid.
Verner and Price’s business had many names, including "Disney Area Villas," Disney and I" and "All Occasions Travel."
The pair advertised homes complete with pools and other amenities for rent near the theme parks in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.
Many families lost thousands of dollars not only on what they believed were rentals, but some booked theme park tickets and vehicle through the duo’s business.
A lengthy FDLE investigation led to 13 victims who gave statements saying they lost more than $30,000.
Verner and Price were found in Mineola, Texas, and brought to Florida to face felony charges of
organized fraud.
Authorities said there could be at least two dozen other victims.

Verner and Price are from the U.K. and are in the U.S. illegally on overstay visas, authorities said. Officials said they are being held in the Polk County Jail and must be kept there due to a hold from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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