In a significant legal outcome, two individuals faced sentencing in a federal court in Brooklyn for their roles in a fraudulent scheme involving JetBlue Airways, as disclosed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Identified as Keily Nunez, a 44-year-old former JetBlue employee hailing from Jamaica, New York, and Julien Levy, aged 39 from Englewood, New Jersey, both were convicted of siphoning $10 million from JetBlue Airways.
JETBLUE FRAUD: Officials say Julien Levy, of Englewood, and Keily Nunez, a former JetBlue employee, defrauded JetBlue Airways of $10 million. https://t.co/6UdUZRceTq
— News12NJ (@News12NJ) May 6, 2024
The DOJ’s investigation unveiled that Nunez, along with an unnamed JetBlue colleague, allegedly accepted bribes from Levy between July 2017 and June 2021. In return, they greenlit invoices totaling over $1.5 million for aircraft parts supplied by Levy’s enterprise, Summit Aviation Supply. Furthermore, Nunez purportedly received kickbacks for authorizing invoices worth more than $8.5 million for aircraft parts sourced from Alaris Aerospace Systems, a Florida-based company linked to a co-conspirator.
Ivan Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, condemned Levy and Nunez’s actions, emphasizing their abuse of authority to orchestrate a scam that defrauded JetBlue Airways. Arvelo highlighted the egregious lengths to which the defendants went, including manipulating the identity of a deceased airline employee to subvert company regulations solely for personal enrichment.
Additionally, it emerged that Nunez had previously been sentenced to a two-year prison term for his involvement in a distinct fraudulent endeavor aimed at swindling $1.5 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program through falsified loan applications.
Following their guilty pleas for honest services wire fraud entered in 2023, Levy and Nunez are now facing sentences ranging from 20 to 40 months behind bars. The outcome underscores the legal ramifications for those implicated in fraudulent activities targeting JetBlue Airways, marking a crucial step in accountability and deterrence against such illicit practices.
This news comes as JetBlue is currently facing public outcry over alleged antisemitism, as a Jewish passenger’s flight was reportedly canceled after he quietly complained to an employee about a flight attendant allegedly repositioning her “Free Palestine” pin deliberately after hearing him discuss Israel’s ongoing war to eliminate Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
