A $14 million travel agency scam has hit the headlines in Texas, with Christian Marviv Ble, a 39-year-old national of Côte d’Ivoire, extradited from France to face charges.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Ble was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and unauthorized use of an access device.
The indictment alleges that Ble and his associates used an email phishing scheme to target victim travel agencies with deceptive emails. They sent emails claiming to be from the company that handles airline reservations for the travel agencies, stating there was a security update that required their login credentials. The emails included links to fake websites that closely resembled the real reservation company’s login page.
When the travel agency employees entered their information, their credentials were stolen. The group then used the stolen credentials to access the legitimate reservation system and book airline tickets, charging the costs to the travel agencies’ accounts. In total, the scheme caused about $14 million in losses to approximately 430 travel agencies.
Ble arrived in the United States from France on April 21, 2026, and is currently in the custody of the US Marshals Service. The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Alan Jackson.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and extradition from France of Ble.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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