Belle Chasse travel agent stole $22000 from client: Plaquemines Sheriff’s Office

A man who thought he’d be on a seven-day Bahamas cruise in mid-December instead found himself at home in Belle Chasse and out the $22,887 he paid his travel agent. The agent, Paige Champagne, 46, pocketed the money and never booked the man’s cruise, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office officials said Wednesday (Feb. 3).

And he may not be Champagne’s only disappointed client.

Investigators identified at least one other victim who had $2,500 worth of vacation costs returned, said Commander Eric Becnel, spokesman for the department. Detectives have also spoken with several other worried travelers who have upcoming cruises booked with her company, Champagne Travel Inc.  

“They don’t become a victim until the cruise date passes,” Becnel said.

The 65-year-old man who contacted the Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 5 had previously booked several vacations with Champagne’s company, traveling with Royal Caribbean Cruse Line. He had no indication in May 2015 that things would go amiss when he asked her to line up the Bahamas cruise.

Champagne quoted a $25,565 price tag for the trip, but offered to charge him only $22,000 if he paid in full, Becnel said. The man took the offer and gave Champagne his credit card.

However, Champagne charged the man $22,887.14. She then used her business credit card to pay a $500 deposit to Royal Caribbean, Becnel said.

As the man’s Dec. 10 vacation date approached, he became concerned because he hadn’t received the usual luggage tags and boarding passes. Champagne told him there must have been some sort of error on the part of the cruise line and promised to clear things up, Becnel said. But she then began avoiding his calls.

The man decided to give Royal Caribbean a call. Agents with the cruise line confirmed they had no record of him being booked for the Dec. 10 trip, Becnel said.

Sheriff’s Office detectives and Royal Caribbean investigators determined that while Champagne did pay a deposit, she never responded to the cruise line’s two calls to cover the remaining balance. She twice ask for extensions to make payments, but Royal Caribbean ultimately cancelled the booking on Nov. 14.

Champagne promised to refund the man, but never made good, Becnel said. In the interim, Champagne Travel relocated from its offices at 8498 Highway 23 in Belle Chasse, to its current location, 405 Huey P. Long Ave., Gretna, Becnel said.

Sheriff’s Office detectives interviewed Champagne on Jan. 12. She admitted accepting the man’s $22,000 payment, telling them she had processed a refund on Jan. 8. But the man told authorities he never received any money from Champagne, according to Becnel.

Detectives obtained a warrant and arrested Champagne Jan. 22, booking her with theft valued over $1,500. She was released from the Belle Chasse Lockup the same day on a $5,000 bond.

Champagne later admitted the man’s cruise was canceled for nonpayment. She told detectives she spoke with the victim after Royal Caribbean confirmed he would not be traveling to the Bahamas, but she was too embarrassed to tell him the cruise was never booked, according to Becnel.

Investigators suspect Champagne took the money because she had been living beyond her means, Becnel said. 

Anyone else who suspects they may be a victim of Champagne Travel is asked to call Detective Holly Hardin with the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office at 504.564.2525.