Plea deal will send Marlton travel promoter to jail

Travel promoter Daryl Turner, 41, of Marlton, named one of his companies Away We Go Promotions L.L.C.

Maybe it should have been "Away He Goes."

After pleading guilty to stealing from his travel business' customers, he'll be off to prison for seven years, part of a plea bargain struck with state prosecutors.

Turner and his wife, Robyn Bernstein, 44, who helped run his companies, pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft by deception in the Mount Holly courtroom of Superior Court Judge Terrence R. Cook.

Cook set Jan. 10 as the sentencing date for the couple. She faces five years' probation. As part of their plea agreements, they agreed to forfeit their home in Marlton as well as their 2011 Range Rover, 2001 Ferrari, and 2007 Bentley.

"Turner was the master of the slick sales pitch, and he used his powers of deception to steal $2.6 million from customers of his travel companies," acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman said.

Turner also agreed to pay $2.6 million in restitution.

According to the Attorney General's Office, Turner and Bernstein worked two scams.

In one, they induced people to attend a presentation - actually a high-pressure sales pitch on various travel packages - by promising a free cruise or free airfare. However, to redeem the cruise or airline ticket, customers had to provide information and advance payments. In the end, they were never able to get the flights or the cruises.

In the other scam, the couple persuaded people to purchase vacation packages for $2,200 to $6,500 by promising huge discounts on prime hotels, resorts, golf packages, and car rentals. However, those discounts were unavailable because, as Turner and Bernstein knew, the Georgia company the couple used to book vacations didn't offer them. The Georgia company also didn't handle car rentals or golf packages.

The couple owned three promotion companies, including Away We Go. The companies operated under many names: Dreamworks Vacation Club, Five Points Travel Co., Vacations Clubs L.L.C., La Bonne Vie Travel, Bentley Travel, Blue Water Gateway, Modern Destinations Unlimited, VIP Executives L.L.C., and Travel Deals L.L.C., with locations in Cherry Hill, Marlton, Parsippany, and Manalapan.

In February 2011, Turner settled a civil complaint against him and his companies by the state Division of Consumer Affairs. The settlement totaled $3.1 million and included $2.2 million in restitution to 528 consumers, $478,000 in penalties, plus attorney fees and investigative costs.

Turner agreed that he would not work in the travel business in New Jersey for five years.