Victorian travel agent Jordan Dittloff has been sentenced to a minimum 20 months in jail after scamming 47 Colac residents.
Dittloff, also a Former Young Liberals president and Rotary member was sentenced after admitting to stealing more than $277,000 from 47 different clients – including the mother of his then fiancé – while managing Ace Travel last year. Dittloff ran from the police after being accused by his clients at the time.
After ruining their holiday plans, Dittloff wrote an apology to his victims, according to the Geelong Advertiser, saying “now that I have been sentenced I wish to apologise unreservedly to all those who have been harmed by my actions”.
The paper said he apologised to his former clients for the financial loss and betrayal of trust suffered, as well as to his family who had been “dragged through the mud throughout this experience”.
“My direct and extended family, and my former partner and her family, are all good, honest, law-abiding people who knew nothing of what was happening,” he wrote, the paper reports.
“Listening to the victim impact statements I feel certain that working to repay my debts once I am released is the right thing to do.”
County Court Judge Gerard Mullaly described the theft as a “callous” and “selfish” breach of trust and while amounts stolen varied from $1000 to $33,000, the effect on victims was similar.
“The impact of your crime is not only to be measured by the value of your theft,” Judge Mullaly said, ABC online reports.
Six of Dittloff’s victims were in court to hear the sentencing, including Heather and Mike Green.
“I’m thanking the police and prosecution as well for what they’ve done, I think it’s a just sentence,” she said.
“Hopefully now we’ll move on and Jordan will sit there and think about what he’s done and maybe come out and do the right thing in a couple of years’ time.”
