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St. Louis, Missouri. – A former Southwest Airlines customer service representative has been charged with theft, accusing him of printing nearly $80,000 worth of travel vouchers for personal use and profit.
Brooklyn Jones, who worked at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, allegedly printed out flight vouchers with the names of previous passengers and redeemed them for himself. USA Today reports.
Jones reportedly confessed after an internal investigation and returned 119 travel vouchers to the Southwest investigator. These vouchers were worth $36,300. FOX 2 reports.
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According to court documents, the vouchers were printed between August 1 and September 23, 2023.
A Southwest aircraft is seen at Miami International Airport in Miami, USA, on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Despite the confession, Jones pleaded not guilty to the theft on Thursday. His attorney told USA Today that Jones’ arrest “appears to rely heavily on third-party testimony.”
“We look forward to the disclosure process and reserve the right to comment on this matter in the future after receiving and reviewing the specific disclosure,” he said.
Southwest declined to comment on the investigation and subsequent arrest. A Southwest spokesperson told FOX TV Stations, “We will defer to law enforcement.”
This is not the first time a Southwest customer service representative has been accused of this crime. Last June, former Southwest Airlines employee DaJuan Martin was charged with fraud for allegedly issuing and selling nearly $1.9 million worth of travel vouchers.
Federal prosecutors said Martin was working at Chicago Midway Airport when he filled out the vouchers under false names and then resold them to others, including co-defendant Ned Brooks, at below face value.
