Travel marketing boss pleads guilty to fraud, facing 20 years in prison
A marketing executive is facing a long stretch in prison after posting a guilty plea to defrauding two major travel brands.
Rebecca Jelfo, 47, pleaded guilty to charges alleging she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a major airline and a hospitality company.
She faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents she defrauded the two companies out of more than $855,000.
Due to the plea deal neither company has been publicly identified, although a LinkedIn profile for Rebecca Jelfo lists previous roles as Americas’ head of marketing at Qatar Airways and senior director, global brand marketing at Hilton.
Jelfo created bogus and filed inflated invoices from vendors for various marketing services and products, according to court filings.
Part of her role at both companies was to approve invoices from vendors.
"At both companies, Jelfo was entrusted with the ability to approve significant marketing expenses on behalf of her employer without any oversight. Jelfo abused that position of trust in furtherance of her scheme," the filing said.
The fraudulently obtained money was used to service her personal credit card debts and other purchase and expenses.
She faces a sentencing hearing on December 10.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025