Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Customers of Newton Travel Agency

NEWTON, MA – The former manager of a now-defunct Newton travel agency pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding customers of more than $2 million.

Bret Gordon, 43, of Waltham, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud and two counts of filing a false personal tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Prosecutors said Gordon established and owned a 65 percent interest in Tom Harper Cruises, a business selling overseas river cruise vacations. As manager, he had exclusive control of the company's bank accounts and finances.

Soon after Tom Harper Cruises began operating in 2013, Gordon began siphoning money from its account for his personal use, primarily to gamble, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The business relied on customer payments to outsource to independent cruise companies for trips, and as a result of Gordon's actions, Tom Harper Cruises ultimately was unable to pay some of its regular expenses, authorities said. Last year, the company closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy.

Between September 2013 and June 2015, Gordon took about $2,258,500 from Tom Harper Cruises, leaving approximately 400 customers who had paid a cumulative total of about $3,167,128 without their trips, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He also failed to report approximately $165,000 in money he had taken in 2013 and $900,000 in 2014 on his personal income tax returns, according to prosecutors.

Gordon will be sentenced in February.