Florida Couple Arrested For Selling Bogus Trips To Cuba While Posing As Travel Agents

A man and woman from Key West, Fla., are facing charges for allegedly posing as travel agents to sell bogus trips to Cuba, which were canceled and never refunded.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Steven Carl Sanchez, 53, and Traci Leann Culiver-Sanchez, 60, were each arrested Monday on charges of grand theft and offering/selling travel services without registration to a terrorist state.

Once victim contacted the sheriff’s office after they booked a trip to Cuba through Majestic Seas Luxury Charters, owned by Sanchez and Culiver-Sanchez. The victim reported paying approximately $4,000 per person for a trip scheduled to depart from Miami International Airport on Dec. 5, 2024.

The group was supposed to meet the suspects at the airport, but they were late, causing the victims to miss their flight. The flight was re-booked, but then the entire trip was canceled by the suspects a few hours later, and the victims’ money was never refunded.

Detectives learned the suspects were not registered with the Department of Agriculture as sellers of travel. The sheriff’s office said they promised at least seven victims trips to Cuba.

According to the U.S. State Department, U.S. citizens are only allowed to travel to Cuba under certain specific conditions, and general tourism is prohibited by U.S. law.

In order to travel to the island nation, U.S. citizens must obtain a license from the Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for one of 12 authorized categories of travel: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; support for the Cuban people; humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials; and certain authorized export transactions.