A convicted fraudster who stole almost $280,000 from clients of his travel company hopes to be elected to parliament in Australia, where he claims politicians “steal from the Australian people every day.”
Jordan Dittloff, 35, stole $277,993 from 47 clients through his company Ace Travel, based in Colac, about 150 kilometers southwest of Melbourne, between July 2014 and May 2015.
Dittloff received payments from travelers for flights, hotels and tours while working at Ace Travel in Colac and even printed fake itineraries, but never completed the reservations.
One of his victims was the mother of his then fiancée, who had saved up for the trip of a lifetime by sewing and knitting.
Dittloff served more than two years in prison and has only repaid money to a couple of his victims.
However, he now plans to run as a Libertarian Party candidate in the next federal election, which will likely be held early next year.
Jordan Dittloff, 35, stole $277,993 from 47 clients through his company Ace Travel, based in Colac, about 150 kilometers southwest of Melbourne, between July 2014 and May 2015 (pictured outside the court at that time)
“There will be many people in the Colac community who will be, rightly, skeptical,” Mr. Dittloff admitted to A Current Affair.
“But my past and my past mistakes do not excuse the situation we have in Canberra at the moment.
“I think there are a lot of people in Canberra who steal and harm Australians every day – they have no regrets.”
However, his victims have a different opinion.
Stuart Kyle, who gave $10,990 to Dittloff for a trip to Asia that never happened, said he was “stunned” by the event.
‘How can a person do all this and then think they have any chance of reaching a position like that?’ Mr. Kyle asked.
‘If you want to call me, I can give you my bank account and if you want to deposit some money there, you would be very welcome.’
Dittloff has promised to repay his victims over the next “seven to ten years.”
So far he has paid out $34,638, just 12 percent of the total he stole from trusted clients.
Dittloff admits that “not only did I rob people, I damaged their trust.”
“I looked people in the eye, accepted money they had paid for their trips, and used that money to pay for other trips they had previously booked to generate documents,” he told the program.
‘That was wrong and that is something that I possess and that I do not hide from.
‘I’m not going to sit here telling anyone that they should trust me or that they should trust me.
Dittloff has promised to repay his victims in the next “seven or ten years.”
“All I ask is that you look at what I’ve done since then.”
Dittloff says he completed a bachelor’s degree in business and a graduate degree in law, and told the show he now works for a law firm.
However, their website says: “In 2024 I hope to be admitted to legal practice and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Daily Mail Australia has approached Dittloff for further comment.
“I have been able to reflect on behaviors that fueled addictions in the past and now, with strong support networks, I am over 8 years into recovery and sobriety,” Dittloff’s website states.
Monash University constitutional law expert Professor Luke Beck told the program Dittloff’s criminal past does not disqualify him from running for office.
“A person who has served their sentence is free to run and it is up to the public to decide whether someone like that should be allowed to sit in Parliament,” Professor Beck said.
“If we want a vibrant democracy, the more people who run, the more variety of opinions and possibilities, the better.”
