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Posing as an Airline Employee, Atlanta Man Fraudulently Obtained $277K in Plane Tickets

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An Atlanta man who posed as airline employees in order to get discounted or free flights pleaded guilty in court last week.

An Atlanta man who posed as flight crew in order to get discounted or free flights into and out of Los Angeles County airports has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud, according to an AP report. Gilbert Myers Jr., 38, entered his plea of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson on January 21 in Los Angeles.

Myers admitted to organizing a plot to defraud air carriers, in which his “clients” he resold flights to would fly posing as airline employees and thus be eligible for non-revenue fares. In exchange for organizing their transport, Myers would, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charge around $2,000 for a year of flying.

Prosecutors say that Myers fraudulently booked flights on multiple carriers, including AirTran Airways, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines.

Posing as a flight crew member for another airline, Myers obtained boarding passes and tickets by phoning the victim carrier’s reservation center and giving its representative the traveler’s name, supposed airline of employment, a false employee number and date of hire.

Additionally, it seems that Myers also helped his travelers avoid detection by advising on dress and coaching them on how to respond to questions regarding their employment. Using these details and their real photo identification, travelers were able to pass through the TSA screening and board their flights.

Myers was arrested last week in Beverley Hills, Calif. while meeting a prospective traveler who was actually an undercover FBI agent. It is believed that the value of the tickets he resold — some of which were obtained by Myers in 2012 and 2013 — was more than $277,000.

Myers is scheduled for sentencing on 30 April. If he is found guilty, Myers could spend up to 20 years in federal prison.

[Photo: iStock]

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3 Comments
Q
QueenOfCoach January 27, 2015

Didn't They Know Who He Was?

R
relangford January 27, 2015

Huh? Airlines don't check for definite proof of employment before giving out tickets and allowing boarding? This seems like an area where better co-operation among airlines would be mutually beneficial.

S
sonofzeus January 27, 2015

Dickens character c 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HazQlWgdzg