Chicago couple claims wedding ceremony desires had been stolen by journey agent in $180K rip-off

CHICAGO – A South Side couple claims their long-awaited wedding ceremony day become heartbreak and monetary break after their dream vacation spot wedding ceremony was allegedly stolen from them together with greater than $180,000.

Iris Smith and Dedric Vaughn had been planning a lavish ceremony in Mexico, set for July 19, with 75 visitors, together with their two younger daughters. The ladies had been set to be flower ladies. 

On Thursday, as a substitute of celebrating their union, the household is caught at residence in Chicago, surrounded by unopened wedding ceremony favors and painful recollections.

“Very, very heartbroken,” Iris Smith stated in an interview with FOX 32.

“Devastated. It’s tough,” added Dedric Vaughn.

The Wedding That Wasn’t:

The couple employed Laticha Douglas, proprietor of FlyGirl World Travel LLC, to assist coordinate their vacation spot wedding ceremony.

According to Smith and Vaughn, visitors RSVP’d and paid Douglas immediately by her now-deactivated web site. The funds had been speculated to cowl journey, lodge rooms, and extra.

Instead, the couple stated they obtained excuses and ultimately, silence.

“I had been trying to contact her for days, and she hadn’t responded,” Smith stated. “… When we calculated everything, over $180,000.”

They stated solely 2% of their visitors obtained refunds. The couple was pressured to cancel the marriage totally.

One e-mail to Smith, allegedly from somebody claiming Douglas was hospitalized, recommended visitors ought to dispute prices with their banks and re-book their journey. The e-mail assured her a refund system was in place, however most visitors by no means noticed a dime.

“The dates on all of this stuff won’t match anymore,” Smith stated, glancing at her wedding ceremony favors. 

“What do you do? Just keep it? Pass it out still?” stated FOX 32’s Tia Ewing.

“I think… pass it out. Everyone kind of knows what happened. It’s so unfortunate,” Smith stated.

Receipts & Repercussions:

FOX 32 obtained dozens of receipts confirming 1000’s in visitor funds.

The couple stated the losses embrace their very own prices, their youngsters’s bills, and all visitor reservations. But, the difficulty might go additional.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has obtained a minimum of 5 separate complaints in opposition to FlyGirl World Travel LLC:

• One traveler paid $2,300 for a visit to Jamaica, solely to search out there was no reservation.
• Another made month-to-month funds for a $3,900 journey to Egypt. That journey by no means occurred.

In each instances, Douglas stopped responding, and her web site disappeared.

According to state information, FlyGirl World Travel LLC was terminated earlier this yr by the Secretary of State, then later reinstated.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office confirmed it’s now working to mediate a number of complaints.

“We are attempting to mediate consumer complaints we have received about this business,” the workplace stated in a press release.

Tracking the Travel Agent:

FOX 32 went on the lookout for Douglas at two addresses linked to her enterprise.

At one residence in Washington Heights, lights had been on, however nobody answered. At one other handle in Back of the Yards, we spoke to Douglas’ mom. 

She acknowledged understanding her daughter and took our quantity, promising to cross alongside a message. But we by no means heard again.

Numerous telephone calls and emails to Douglas additionally went unanswered.

Public information present prior prices underneath Douglas’ maiden title, Laticha Allen, for theft, deception, and pc fraud within the early 2000s. We couldn’t affirm how these instances had been resolved. None seem like energetic at the moment.

What’s subsequent:

The Chicago Police Department confirmed an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, Smith and Vaughn, each metropolis workers, are left with heartbreak and debt.

“I still find myself in shock sometimes,” Smith stated.

Now, they simply need accountability.

“At this point, just turn yourself in,” Smith stated in a direct plea to Douglas. “You took a lot of people’s money. A lot of people are angry—including us.”

The Illinois Secretary of State’s workplace stated Thursday that FlyGirl World Travel LLC is at present listed as “not in good standing” as of July 1.

The firm did not file its required annual report on time. If the report isn’t filed by Jan. 1, 2026, the enterprise will likely be routinely dissolved.

FlyGirl World Travel can return to good standing by submitting the report and paying the required charges earlier than the deadline.

The firm additionally obtained a authorized discover often called a UCC submitting after its lender, True Advanced Funding Inc., claimed the suitable to grab the enterprise’s property if the mortgage isn’t repaid.

The full assertion from the Secretary of State’s workplace might be learn beneath: 

“Flygirl World Travel LLC has not been investigated by the Secretary of State’s office. However, it is currently in Not In Good Standing status as of July 1, 2025, because it did not submit an annual report to the office before this deadline. If an annual report is not filed by January 1, 2026, the entity will be involuntarily dissolved. The business could submit its annual report, pay the annual fee and penalty fee before January 1 to return to Good Standing status after that date.

 “Also of observe, True Advanced Funding Inc. filed a UCC submitting in opposition to Flygirl World Travel LLC which outlines a financing association between the 2 entities. Please discover the UCC submitting connected.”

What you are able to do:

If you consider you’ve been impacted by FlyGirl World Travel or must file a grievance, visit this link.

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