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A Waipahu travel agent was charged with taking money from 30 mostly elderly customers for plane tickets but not delivering.
City prosecutors on Wednesday charged Elma Pacleb with 31 counts of felony theft. Two of the charges involve one person. Each charge accuses Pacleb of stealing more than $300.
The felony information document accuses Pacleb, 50, of stealing money from her victims between December 2015 and June 2016. That’s when Pacleb operated Diplomat Tours and Travel Inc.
Honolulu police arrested Pacleb in November 2016 on 25 counts of theft but released her pending further investigation.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Spallina, supervisor of the Elder Abuse Justice Unit, said the investigation uncovered additional victims, including at least one on Maui. He expects more victims to come forward when they learn that Pacleb has been charged.
At the time of her 2016 arrest, her lawyer Michael Green said Pacleb never intended to steal from anyone and that she was working on paying back her customers. He also said Pacleb closed her business.