Travel Deals

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Government Actions

Date of Action: 30.01.2014

The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

TRENTON Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that Daryl Turner was sentenced to seven years in state prison by Superior Court Judge in Burlington County. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 to second-degree theft by deception. Turner admitted that he pitched phony vacation travel membership packages to customers. He executed a consent judgment to pay restitution of approximately $2.6 million to his victims.

Turner s wife, Robyn Bernstein, who helped run his travel companies, was sentenced to five years of probation. She also pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 to theft by deception. Under their plea agreements, Turner and Bernstein agreed to forfeit their home in Marlton and other assets seized in the investigation, including bank accounts, cars and a boat.

Turner and Bernstein were indicted in April 2013 as a result of a criminal investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the U.S. Postal Service and the New Jersey Division of Taxation. The

The state s investigation revealed that Turner and Bernstein falsely promised large discounts and benefits to those who bought vacation packages, which typically cost between $2,200 and $6,500. They knew that the promised discounts and benefits were not available. In addition, they failed to deliver free round-trip airline tickets and cruises after customers paid them hundreds of dollars in fees and surcharges to qualify for the free promotional trips. They laundered more than $700,000 in criminal proceeds through their personal bank accounts and used the money to buy their luxury home in Marlton.

The state s investigation revealed that Turner and Bernstein recruited customers using mass postcard mailings that offered recipients a complimentary cruise for two and/or complimentary airfare for two. When recipients called the toll-free number on the card, they were told they must visit one of defendants business locations for a 90-minute presentation, which turned out to be a high-pressure sales pitch to purchase vacation packages. The investigation determined that between January 2007 and July 2011, Turner and Bernstein stole from customers through two basic schemes:

1. Promotions. All who attended their presentations received gift certificates for the advertised free cruise and airfare, whether or not they signed a contract to purchase a vacation package. However, to redeem the certificates, customers had to make certain advance payments. For the free cruise, customers were required to pay $249 per person that was purportedly for port charges and government fees. For the free airfare deal, customers were required to pay a deposit of $50 per person to cover purported fees, taxes and surcharges. The customers were never able to book the cruises or flights.
2. Vacation Packages. In the other scheme, Turner and Bernstein induced customers to purchase vacation packages, at costs ranging from approximately $2,200 to $6,500, by promising them unattainable vacation prices and unavailable vacation properties. While Turner and Bernstein marketed travel deals, they were not involved in the actual booking of travel at all. Instead they had a contract with a Georgia-based travel company, which they used to book vacations for his customers. Turner and Bernstein defrauded customers by promising that they would receive big discounts on vacations and travel services, and would have access to prime hotels, resorts and condo rentals. In reality, Turner and Bernstein knew that such discounts and benefits were not available through the company they used.

Turner and Bernstein ran three promotion companies: 1. Away We Go Promotions, LLC, 2. Promotions, and 3. Reservations. They used the following names: 1. Dreamworks Vacation Club a/k/a Dreamworks Vacations a/k/a Dreamworks; 2. Five Points Travel Company, 3. Vacation Clubs LLC d/b/a La Bonne Vie Travel, 4. Bentley Travel, 5. Blue Water Gateway, 6. Modern Destinations Unlimited, 7. VIP Executives, LLC, and 8. Travel Deals, LLC. Some of the companies were incorporated and had business addresses, including locations in Cherry Hill, Marlton, Parsippany and Manalapan.

In May 2009, the Division of Consumer Affairs filed its initial civil complaint against Turner and three of his businesses in Superior Court in Morris County. The action arose from the receipt of consumer complaints and a resulting investigation by the Division of Consumer Affairs and the Burlington County Office of Consumer Affairs. In February 2011, the Division and Turner settled the action, with the filing of a final consent judgment whereby Turner agreed to pay a settlement amount of $3,086,508, which consisted of $2,188,728 in restitution, $478,000 in civil penalties, $375,374 in attorney fees, and $44,406 in investigative costs. The restitution represented payments made by 528 of the 676 consumers who had filed complaints with the Division by that time. The settlement prohibited Turner from working in, owning or operating any travel or vacation club companies in New Jersey for five years.

Later, the Division of Consumer Affairs discovered that Turner was involved in operating Travel Deals, LLC, a company owned by Bernstein which also was selling vacation packages, and that Turner had failed to disclose assets, including bank accounts and motor vehicles. In May 2011, the Division filed a motion to enforce the settlement terms, which the court granted. Following the Division s investigation and receipt of consumer complaints, a new civil complaint was filed against Turner, Bernstein, Travel Deals, VIP Executives and Reservations in June 2011 in Superior Court in Burlington County. On Jan. 10, 2014, the court granted the motion for final injunctive and other relief.

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