PROVO -- Prosecutors added eight more felony counts to the list of charges against a man who allegedly sold thousands of dollars of bogus Hawaiian vacations.
Troy A. Brinar, 22, Orem, appeared in 4th District Court Friday to hear the new charges and the two already filed against him. He now faces eight counts of communication fraud, seven second-degree felonies and one third-degree felony; one count of theft by deception, a third-degree felony, and a misdemeanor count of theft by deception.He is allegedly associated with a company called Telecom Travel, which posted fliers in businesses throughout Utah Valley advertising a $455 eight-day, seven-night trip to Hawaii including first-class airfare, luxurious accommodations, free dinners and complimentary jet ski rentals.
Those who paid the money, including seven members of one Provo family, received only a copy of the flier with the owner's signature and a promise that a travel itinerary would arrive within 45 days.
Investigators began questioning the offer after a resident faxed Provo police a copy of the flier wondering if the deal was too good to be true.
The flier offered airfare on America West Airlines with connecting flights on Hawaiian Airlines. America West doesn't fly to the Islands nor does it have packages with Hawaiian Airlines. The hotels touted don't exist, although their names were close to actual Hawaiian hotels, prosecutors said.
Brinar was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail. Bail was originally set at $5,000, but prosecutor Sherry Ragan asked that it be raised to $100,000.
"The money they are talking about posting is what they cleaned out from the checking accounts of the victims in this case," Ragan said.
Prosecutors consider Brinar a flight risk since he is also wanted in Arizona.
Fourth District Judge Donald Eyre set bail at $10,000.
Brinar allegedly told some people he played football at BYU, prompting several calls to the university. University spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said no one named Troy A. Brinar ever enrolled at BYU. She confirmed the school's football office received six or seven phone calls from people inquiring about him the past couple of months.