A 35-year-old American man has been found guilty of impersonating a flight attendant at least 120 times in order to avoid having to pay for plane tickets.
Federal prosecutors accused Tirone Alexander of entering the secure area of an airport under false pretences and committing wire fraud at least 120 times between 2018 and 2024.
The 35-year-old man reportedly took advantage of a common airline policy that allows flight attendants and pilots from other airlines to fly for free.
Alexander, who allegedly had worked as a flight attendant for regional airlines between 2013 and 2015, would go to various airline websites and check the “flight attendant” option during the online check-in process.
The form required applicants to provide their employer, date of hire, and badge number, and Alexander used falsified information that apparently no one bothered to check.
“The evidence at trial also showed that Alexander posed as a flight attendant on three other airline carriers,” the prosecution said in a statement. “Ultimately, Alexander booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant.”
According to the evidence shown in Court, between 2018 and 2024, Tirone Alexander fraudulently booked more than 120 flights on four different airlines to destinations, including Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
When filling out the online form, he claimed to have worked for seven different airlines and used approximately 30 different combinations of identification numbers and contract start dates.
Tirone Alexander has been found guilty of four counts of wire fraud (each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison) and one count of fraudulently accessing a restricted area of the airport, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His sentencing in this case is set for August 25, 2025.
Culled from www.odditycentral.com