United Employee Sentenced for Stealing $500K Worth of Meal Vouchers
Jackie Reddy October 29, 2018
Ollantay Corujo, formerly employed by United Airlines, used his uniform and ID badge gain access to the carrier’s computers, which in turn enabled him to steal meal vouchers. He targeted multiple cities during his crime spree but was eventually apprehended and sentenced to a term in federal prison.
A former United Airlines employee has been given a federal prison sentence after stealing meal vouchers from the carrier, Peoria’s Journal Star reports. The outlet reveals that despite being fired by the carrier back in 2016, Ollantay Corujo kept his uniform and badge, using them to access computers at various terminals around the country and to print off individual meal vouchers.
Describing Corujo’s crime, the outlet explained that, “While each voucher was worth around $20 to $30 … they were the functional equivalent of cash … Corujo would then “redeem” those vouchers through a food truck company that he owned, causing cash to flow to him without him ever buying or using the vouchers as intended.”
“Because such vouchers usually expire within 48 hours, court documents suggest that he’d spend them immediately with the company he operated,” the outlet added.
Corujo had targeted airports in Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, Harrisburg, Pa and Peoria. After initially targeting the latter city for the first time, he was caught again at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA) after being spotted using a computer at United’s ticket counter. Corujo was challenged by security staff at the airport, but despite his protest that he was employed by the carrier, local police were summoned to the facility.
Federal records indicate that Corujo’s thefts have cost the carrier over $555,000. In addition to pleading guilty to multiple accounts of bank fraud earlier this summer, he has been ordered to repay the carrier $559,345.67 and will serve 33 months in a federal prison, the outlet reports.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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The restriction on airport use only is more because only airport vendors will take. Off airport vendors generally won't. Also a food truck can be on airport, but outside the terminal. As for Peoria having an international airport, lots of airports are. Doesn't mean tgey have commercial international flights, but rather they have general aviation international flights.
Yes... Peoria Int'l has a facility for immigration/customs clearance even though it does not have any international flights. Within a 3 hr drive, it can serve as alternates for O'Hare and St. Louis. And as for the ex-pilot, he probably socially engineered his way to use a computer terminal that somebody else has already logged in. Meal vouchers are usually in small denominations so he can print multiples and walk away with a big stack. What I don't understand is how his food truck can get into the terminal when the vouchers only allowed redemption on airport premises. He must have an insider within UA accounting department that processes his 3rd party billing.
Peoria has an international airport?
Either they didn't kill his login or he had "borrowed" from other employees
Maybe I'm not reading the story correctly, but how do you break into a computer with a uniform and badge?!?