United States: A billionaire scams an airline

A man of Ukrainian-American descent has flown Georgia-based airline Delta Airlines for $ 1.75 million over several kilometers. Now, for electronic fraud, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

The offender, identified as Gennady Podolsky, was the senior managing partner and travel agent of Chicago-based Vega Travel Services. With his knowledge, he has registered a fertility center owned by a family member in Delta's customer loyalty program, called SkyBonus. Then, whenever he booked a flight for his clients through his travel agency, he would register them without his permission, as if it were center workers, and, automatically, miles were added to the airline's premiums. For example, it has illegally accumulated 42 million frequent flyer miles, which represents more than $ 1.75 million.

Once with this advantage, Podolsky traveled for free and also sold tickets at lower prices. The airline therefore logically understood and informed the authorities. A federal jury charged the US-Ukrainian, who has already surrendered to the police, with 12 counts of electronic fraud. In this way, he could be sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.

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