Long time readers of Undercurrent have seen a series of
exposés of Scubacan, the Toronto-based tour operator that was
sending American divers to Cuba without proper authorizations.
Eventually, they began ripping off clients by taking their deposits
and not delivering promised services. One was Harry Hanes
(Tombstone, AZ) who recently wrote in, "your articles saved
many divers from booking with Scubacan and becoming a victim
like us."
The good news is that thanks to Hanes and other dogged
victims such as Jan Pehrson (Sausalito, CA), justice is being
done. They filed suits against Scubacan and brought criminal
charges against the company and its principals, Keith Bolender
and Antonio Avella. In January, Bolender and Avella pled guilty
to acting as travel agents without being registered under
Toronto's Travel Industry Act. They were each placed on probation
and ordered to make restitution of more than $132,000 to
Hanes, Pehrson, and other claimants.
Pehrson told Undercurrent that her group's losses have
already been reimbursed. But for Hanes' claim (over $37,000),
Bolender is on a payment schedule that stretches to January
2006. As a contingency in case Bolender defaults, Hanes' group
has gotten a writ of seizure on his home in a Toronto suburb.
We reported in the June 2003 Undercurrent that Bolender
had folded Scubacan, only to resurface doing business as
Caribbean Trip N Tours. The recent judgment was against both
business entities. If Bolender should pop up again in the dive
travel field, a word to the wise: do not resuscitate.