Southwest Airlines Travel Voucher Scheme Pays Off, And Then Doesn’t
Nearly $1.9 million dollars’ worth of fraudulent Southwest Airlines travel vouchers were sold by a former employee without the company’s knowledge. This scheme occurred between 2018 and 2022.
The Southwest Airlines Travel Voucher Scheme
DaJuan Martin is the Southwest Airlines customer service agent who has perpetrated this scheme. He worked at Chicago’s Midway Airport according to an article on NYPost.com written by the Associated Press .
Here’s how the scheme worked. First, Martin would create computer-generated Southwest Airlines travel vouchers. And then, he would add a fake customer name and sell the voucher at below face value. As a result, all that cash is profit since the vouchers cost him nothing.
Martin Was Not Working Alone
His main partner in crime, and now his co-defendant, is Ned Brooks of Chicago. But, there were others involved in this scheme who would text him when they wanted Southwest Airlines travel vouchers.
So, as a customer service agent for Southwest, Martin had the authority to issue travel vouchers to folks who had poor travel experiences on the airline. Most of the vouchers he sold had a face value of between $200-$500 dollars. That’s according to an article on DallasNews.com written by Alexandra Skores.
The Southwest Airlines Travel Voucher Court Case
As a result, federal prosecutors are charging 36-year-old DaJuan Martin with 12 counts of wire fraud. And, they are also charging his co-defendant, the 46-year-old Brooks, with 4 counts of wire fraud per the NYPost.com article.
The Penalties If They Are Convicted
Firstly, each wire fraud charge carries a federal prison sentence of up to 20 years. Secondly, not only are Martin and Brooks facing prison time, but federal prosecutors want the cash that was collected.
The NYPost.com article reports that they want Martin to forfeit nearly $1.9 million bucks. They want Brooks to give back $732,000 dollars. And, they want another $27 grand and a 2021 Land Rover purchased by the accused fraudsters.
In conclusion, I guess crime does pay. And then crime wants its money back.
9 Lifesaving Travel Items TikTok Convinced Me I Needed And I Really Did
1) Packing Cubes
It’s not to say that I was a messy packer. It’s just that with these packing cubes things are so much more organized in my suitcase. I’m definitely an anxious traveler and packing makes it a little bit worse. These cubes have helped me on two of my trips now and so far it’s been the best decision. Plus, they’re only $25 and honestly that’s a great price for some more organization. These are also incredibly helpful for packing for long extended trips. I’ve seen tons of people who are going on European vacations that love having these on hand. This set comes with 8 different cubes all for different uses and yes, I use almost every single one of them when I travel.
2) iWalk Portable Charger Bank
If you are one of the lucky few who gets to your gate before most of the rest of your flight then this probably isn’t an issue for you (what’s it like being God’s favorite?) But for the rest of us folks who have long travel days and a phone or some other Apple device that will surely need to be charged this iWalk portable charger is the way to go. Of course, just don’t forget to charge it the night before. I personally love the white color, but they also have a black, purple, and pink option for anyone feeling fancy.
3) AirFly Portable Bluetooth Connector
Yes, I know that some flights are giving out headphones nowadays, but I love my AirPods. And if you have those fancy noise-canceling ones why settle for some cheap pair the airline is giving you when you can just connect your AirPods to the screen in front of you? For those of you who don’t know, this solves the issue of having your wireless headphones on a plane and wanting to watch a movie on the screen in front of you. The AirFly plugs into the headphone jack and you can connect your headphones right to it. Simple as that!
4) Portable Travel Sized First Aid Kit
I highly recommend taking a first aid kit wherever you go with you. Especially for traveling you never know what’s going to happen. The number of times I’ve gotten blisters and had no bandaids is obscene at this point. Spare yourself the panic of having to try to find a nearby drugstore and just bring a first aid kit. This one comes with assorted bandages, gauze pads, an antiseptic wipe, burn gel, triple antibiotic ointment, and an alcohol wipe. As a single human who travels alone this is the ideal size for me, they do have other sizes with more items if you are looking for that.
5) FlexFlap Cellphone or Tablet Stand
If you read item 3 and thought, I don’t need to spend more money on something that I can easy just connect to my own personal device that’s totally fine! I do have a really great option for you though. This FlexFlap is really convenient for holding your cellphone or tablet when you’re in flight. It’s honestly a more stable, travel-friendly version of a PopSocket. I used this recently on my last vacation and I really loved having it.
6) Reusable Zip Ties
This may be my holy grail item! I feel like traveling nowadays requires so many cords. I mean I have my phone charger, my Kindle charger, laptop charger, and if you have a tablet or some other device the charges start to add up. The biggest challenge isn’t the chargers themselves it’s the packing of them. These reusable zip ties are genius. You can easily wad your cords up in these and stick them into your carryon that much easier.
7) TSA Approved Toiletry Containers
Yes, we all know we need them. But this set has been my favorite I’ve ever used. I have so many different products I need to bring with me. The hair and skincare bottles alone would be taken up if I wasn’t careful. This set not only comes with the clear bag, but it also comes with the jars I very much like!
8) Mini Perfume/Cologne Travel Bottles
This is another incredibly lifesaving travel item! TikTok has such a wealth of knowledge and watching people put their perfume and cologne in these before traveling was one of those “duh!” moments. These are the perfect size and you don’t have to worry about your bottle breaking while you’re flying! That’s a huge perk for me.
9) Travel Cosmetic Barrel
Now if you’re traveling for a longer vacation and are able to fit your toiletries into your checked bag, I really love this cosmetics barrel. It allows you to put most of your full-sized items into it and I even pack my makeup brushes and things like that with ease. Overall, you’ll have to be careful about the sizes, but this works well if you know 3oz of shampoo and conditioner will not cut it for the trip.
Please note that items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time we published this list. Have an idea for a fun theme for a gift idea list you’d like us to create? Drop us a line at shopping@bbgi.com.
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Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.
