A former Southwest Airlines employee has been indicted for allegedly orchestrating a multi-month voucher-selling scheme that generated nearly $1.9 million in illicit funds between February 2022 and June 2022.
Federal prosecutors charged former Southwest Airlines customer service agent DaJuan Martin, 36, with 12 counts of wire fraud for allegedly creating and selling fraudulent “Southwest Luv Vouchers” (SLVs) worth $1,875,900, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago on Monday.
Prosecutors also charged Ned Brooks, 46, a codefendant named in the indictment, with four counts of wire fraud for his alleged role in the scheme.
The indictment alleges that the defendants knowingly devised, intended to devise, and participated in a scheme to obtain money and property from Southwest Airlines using materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
During Martin’s time as a customer service agent for Southwest Airlines at Chicago’s Midway Airport, prosecutors allege that he knowingly filled out the vouchers with fictitious customer names to generate fraudulent SLVs, which are used to compensate customers who have had unfavorable travel experiences on the airline. Martin allegedly sold the SLVs below the vouchers’ market value to Brooks and others in exchange for cash.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Morris Pasqual, according to a press release.
If Martin and Brooks are convicted of the charges, they will be required to forfeit all property illegally obtained through the scheme, including $1,875,900 from Martin, $732,000 from Books, $26,877 in U.S. currency, and a 2021 Range Rover.
“The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt,” said the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
If convicted, each of the counts of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
Southwest Airlines did not respond to a request for comment from The Dallas Express by the time of publication.
