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Operators of former Kennesaw travel company face felony charges

Brad and Margie Matheson when they lived in an Atlanta condo. They ran the company, Harmony International, which planned a band tripof Caliornia students to Japan. The trip was cancelled and  student families claim they did not get refunds.

Credit: Christopher Oquendo

Credit: Christopher Oquendo

Brad and Margie Matheson when they lived in an Atlanta condo. They ran the company, Harmony International, which planned a band tripof Caliornia students to Japan. The trip was cancelled and  student families claim they did not get refunds.
By Ty Tagami
Dec 7, 2017

The operators of a former Kennesaw-based travel company are facing criminal charges in California in connection with a cancelled high school band trip to Japan.

Bradley Matheson, 52, and Margaret Matheson, 43, together operating as Harmony International, were charged with 93 felony counts and 2 misdemeanor counts, including embezzlement, failing to maintain passenger funds in a trust account, and failing to provide refunds, according to a joint statement by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan.

The total loss to the high school band students and their families was $99,000, and 32 victims were identified in the indictment, the statement said.

A lawyer for the company told the AJC in May that no Georgia families were affected.

Harmony International, also known as MFPI Group, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy May 17. It estimated assets of no more than $50,000, but liabilities of from $1 million to $10 million, court records signed by Bradley Matheson show.

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About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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