SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio couple says they were conned out of thousands of dollars and targeted because of their religious devotion.
The company is called Renaissance Pilgrimages. And the state says it's taken advantage of a lot of people around the country. Now, the Texas Attorney General's office is working with News 4 WOAI to investigate if this company is targeting Catholics right here in San Antonio.
All their bags were packed and their plans seemed set for a 15-day pilgrimage to Egypt.
"We wanted to learn more and be better, be better Catholics," explained Jose Castaneda.
Jose and Helena Castaneda were supposed to fly out Thursday. But then an e-mail came telling them it had all been canceled.
The Castaneda's took a trip to the Israel two years ago with the same company. Back when it was run under a different name. The two heard about the travel agency through their local Catholic Church. And everything went so well, they decided to book their trip to Egypt with them. They paid more than $7,500.
"The Catholic Church has nothing to do with this guy," said Jose.
"And he says he's part of the church," asked News 4 WOAI reporter Mireya Villarreal.
"Oh ya," Castaneda told us. "And everything is through the church. And that's just not true."
We found out the state has been after Renaissance Pilgrimages since 2003. They even sued the company to get refunds back to devout Catholics. At the heart of the suit, the Texas Attorney General asked the company's owner, Robert Groves, to stop running this business.
We tried to get a hold of Robert Groves, but no one returned our calls or e-mails. It's the same response Jose and Helena have gotten for the last four days.
The Attorney General's office tells News 4 WOAI it thought it had put a stop to Robert Groves and his companies earlier this year.
It is asking anyone who's booked a trip with Renaissance Pilgrimages or Groves to give them a call or
file a complaint online. You can also call the consumer protection hotline at (800) 621-050.
