Atlanta

Former Delta ticketing specialist pleads guilty to giving people free tickets

ATLANTA — A man who sold fraudulently issued Delta Airlines tickets has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Officials said 36-year-old Aquil Muhammad issued free tickets without any compensation going to Delta. Muhammad also made fake transportation credit vouchers and Delta travel vouchers to cover the required taxes.

Muhammad worked as a Delta Airlines ticketing specialist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2016, he began issuing free tickets to different people, including family members and other acquaintances.

Muhammad issued these non-revenue tickets from late 2016 through December 2017.

TRENDING STORIES:

He ultimately issued more than 230 tickets, which resulted in losses of $447,000 for Delta, according to the news release.

“Muhammad exploited his position of trust at Delta to enrich himself by selling fraudulent tickets,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “He was even bold enough to use his personal email address as the contact person for some of the illegal transactions.”

A lot of the tickets included Muhammad’s personal email address as the contact for the passenger.

He would sell these free tickets, often being paid through Square.

Sentencing for Muhammad is scheduled for June 7. The FBI is investigating this case.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS: