Orange County Register

SANTA ANA — An Orange County man has been sentenced to five years in prison for selling $154,000 in phony travel packages for religious-related trips to Cuba.

Ralph Adam Rendon, 33, was sentenced Monday and, as part of a plea agreement in Orange County Superior Court, was also ordered to pay restitution to the 41 people who paid $4,000 for trips to visit members of Jewish and Greek Orthodox faiths in Cuba.

Rendon was prosecuted by Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office.  Rendon never arranged the travel and instead used the funds “to purchase a Mercedes, pay his rent and hire a divorce lawyer,” Brown said.

Ads for Rendon’s travel agency, USA to Cuba, said he would arrange trips for Jewish and Greek Orthodox Americans, Brown said. Approximately 41 individuals, including 20 senior citizens, paid $4,000 for the trips. They were from several states, including California.

Travel agents must register with the attorney general’s office. To see if your agent is registered, click here.

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