Last week, Andres pleaded guilty to four counts of forgery in Butler County Common Pleas Court after forging signatures to withdraw $1,600.20 from her disabled sister’s social security benefits account, according to court documents and Butler County Sheriff’s Detective Joe Nerlinger.
Before leaving the courthouse, Andres, a wife and mother, was arrested on a theft warrant from Warren County for allegedly bilking a Mason family out of their trip to Walt Disney World Resort.
Friends and acquaintances who met Andres through community youth activities said the arrests are just two of many scams Andres has conducted, and they are now meeting with the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office as part of a larger investigation.
“When I read the report from Warren County, it was just like my story,” said Pam Zale of West Chester Twp., who found out the Walt Disney World trip Andres booked for her family and several friends was not going to happen.
Kristina Martinez, of Mason, went to police in December after not receiving repayment for a botched vacation booked by Andres.
According to a police report, Andres told Martinez she could book vacations at a discounted rate because she belonged to a Disney Vacation Club timeshare, according to the police report.
After paying Andres $14,305.80 for her family’s Thanksgiving trip to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge that included a deluxe dining plan, park hopper passes and airfare, Martinez learned on the way to the airport there were no reservations.
“When it came time … and her family was on the way to the airport, she received a call from Ms. Andres advising that the vacation reservations were no longer in the system and there were no plane tickets waiting for her at the airport,” according to the police report.
Martinez and her husband, who are dentists, had closed their practice to take the seven-day trip.
Andres could not produce any confirmation numbers or reservations for the vacations, even though Martinez repeatedly requested them.
Although Andres said she would refund the money, the total amount was not returned to Martinez, according to the police report. As of Dec. 12, only $3,000 had been returned.
Dan Ferguson, of the Butler County Prosecutor’s office white collar crime unit, said, “I decline comment at this time.”
Zale said she paid about $5,000 for a seven-day trip similar to Martinez’s a year ahead and was assured by Andres that a missing reservation confirmation was nothing to worry about.
But when the family arrived in Florida, only two small hotel rooms — no meals or theme park passes — awaited them, she said.
Zale said she too was assured by Andres that she would recieve a refund, but has not received any cash.
Zale said she has learned of about 50 additional victims.
Andres is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 24 by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Oney. Each fifth-degree felony carries the possibility of 12 months in prison.
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