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Agent bilked travelers, police say Accused of reaping hundreds of thousands by fraud By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- Becky Grosse of Welches thought she was booking a dream trip when she contacted a downtown Ashland travel agency called Europa-Let Tropical Inlet to reserve a weeklong stay at an Italian villa. Instead, the air freight office manager found she was charged for her portion of the $3,000 lodgings twice -- once in May and again in June. When she finally reached Katherine D. Driskell, the owner of Europa-Let, she was told it was all a mistake. She would get a refund immediately. She's still waiting. She's not the only one. Police cited and released Driskell, 38, of 420 S. Fourth St. in Jacksonville on a charge of first-degree aggravated theft. Police suspect Driskell used credit card fraud to bilk travelers and would-be travelers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year. Through Europa-Let, Driskell arranged for alternatives to high-rise hotels for travelers, including homes, manors and castles ranging up to $30,000 a week. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Ashland Police Capt. Mike DeCapua. "There were a number of double and triple charges against credit cards." Three cases are pending against Europa-Let in Jackson County small claims court. The Better Business Bureau states the company "has an unsatisfactory business record" and has failed to respond to complaints brought by the bureau. Three people complained to police in the past week alone. "People go off to Greece, get to the villa, and it goes back to the biblical phrase -- there's no room at the inn," explained officer Brent Jensen. "They go down the street, but their credit card has been double- or triple-booked and it is maxed out." On Wednesday, police issued a search warrant at the business -- 92 N. Main St. -- which is housed with Driskell's other company, Great Destinations Travel Inc. Later in the day, they issued another search warrant at Driskell's house. Police seized financial information, credit card charges, and computerized records. The FBI, Secret Service, Oregon State Police and the Internal Revenue Service also are investigating Driskell. Driskell could not be reached for comment, but a recording reached at the shop's number states: "Europa-Let Tropical Inlet Inc. is out of business. It is our intent to contact all parties within 30 days. Thank you." No one was in the travel office Thursday, although one woman -- who refused to identify herself -- let herself into the office with a key. "You want a quote, I'll give you a quote," she told the Mail Tribune. "What would Jesus do?" Driskell has owned Europa-Let since 1995, police and state records show. State records list Driskell as the president of the corporation and Medford resident Pamela Freitas as the secretary. Freitas declined to comment. Driskell has no prior criminal record, police said. In April 1998, Driskell told the Mail Tribune she had 15 employees who fielded between 500 and 2,000 calls a week from people seeking specialty lodging. She boasted of being one of the six biggest companies in the world booking stays in private-home-type settings. Driskell said the loss of her leg, to a tumor at the age of 9, was a motivating factor in her life. "When I was in rehabilitation, I saw people who could do for themselves but wouldn't," she says. "I said I wasn't going to be that way." She said she worked 12- to 14- hour days and looked forward to buying homes in Paris and the Caribbean for retirement. Diane Olson of Mount Prospect, Ill., was looking for something a little less expensive than a home in Paris when she called Driskell in March. She found Europa-Let on the Internet while searching for companies renting out motorhomes in London. When she asked Driskell for information, Driskell said she could send it, but only if she had Olson's credit card or debit card number. Olson eventually got some information from Driskell -- and a $1,200 charge on her debit card. She hadn't booked anything. "I thought maybe it was a mistake," said Olson, an administrative assistant. "I've been in touch with her off and on and she says she's going to pay me." But the money never showed up in her account. "The last time I talked to her last week she said she had been having a lot of problems and had been losing sleep," Olson said. Yvette Gonsalves, a Miami ticket agent, used Europa-Let two years ago when she and seven other people went to one of the Greek islands. Despite a confirmation of two townhouses on the island of Mykonos, the group found themselves in only one townhouse, and an extra bedroom. The group ended up sleeping on sofas and chairs. She figures she and her friends are owed $1,200 for the villa they never got. For two years Driskell has been promising to pay, but again, the money never showed up. Gonsalves is sure it isn't an honest mistake, because as she talked on the phone, she held the fax sent by Driskell to the villa's owner asking for only one townhouse; in the other hand, the confirmation she received for two. Police have no idea how many people are left with their travel plans in disarray. They have a roomful of paperwork to sift through. Asked what would happen to the travelers, DeCapua replied: "You'll have to ask Katherine D. Driskell about that." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA