Tuesday, June 21, 2005

NINETEEN JFK AIRPORT EMPLOYEES CHARGED IN TELEPHONE SCAM; ALLEGEDLY USED ACCESS CODES TO MAKE THOUSANDS OF UNAUTHORIZED LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CALLS

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Superintendent of Police Samuel J. Plumeri Jr., announced today that nineteen John F. Kennedy International Airport ground service company and airline employees have been charged with using access codes without authorization to make thousands of local and international telephone calls.

According to the District Attorney, the unauthorized telephone calls resulted in losses of about $26,900 to six companies owning the access codes. The telephone calls were placed chiefly to South American and Caribbean locations and included local calls lasting seconds costing three cents to an international call to the Dominican Republic lasting two hours, 25 minutes costing $65.

District Attorney Brown said, "According to the charges, the defendants have admitted that they received by word of mouth from unauthorized sources telephone access codes that they used to make thousands of personal calls. The calls were made to both local and international locations and the losses to the companies that own the access codes ranged from $500 to $12,400 and totaled over $26,900.”

PANYNJ Superintendent of Police Plumeri said, “These individuals willfully and unlawfully obtained personal access codes from other employees for the purpose of making long-distance telephone calls. Months of collaborative investigating by detectives from the Port Authority Police and the Queens District Attorney’s Office revealed the methods used by these men and women who broke the law while also betraying their employers and co-workers.”

District Attorney Brown said that the defendants have been variously charged in multiple criminal complaints with Grand Larceny in the Third and Fourth Degree; Criminal Use of an Access Device in the First and Second Degree and Petit Larceny and face up to seven years in prison if convicted. The defendants have been arraigned in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Lenora Gerald who released them in their own recognizance and set a July 1, 2005 return date.

The District Attorney said that the investigation began in January 2005 when North American Airlines conducted a routine review of its telephone billings, discovered irregularities and notified the PAPD which launched an immediate investigation.

District Attorney Brown said that it has been charged that the companies allegedly victimized by the telephone calling scheme included North American Airlines; Mexicana Airlines; Independence Air; Singapore Air; JFK International Arrivals Terminal and Rockerfeller Telecommunications Group and that the losses sustained by the companies ranged from $526 by North American Airlines to $12,446 by Mexicana Airlines.

The District Attorney said that the defendants –- employees of three ground service providers –- Swissport USA, Triangle and A/C Service International Group -- and an airline –- Lan Chile –- are charged with having placed between October 20, 2004 and March 3, 2005 thousands of unauthorized local and international telephone calls using the codes.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendants as:

(1)Angelica Alcantara, 21, 208 West 151st Street, Manhattan, Swissport USA; (2)Denise Batista, 38, 213-19 Murdock Avenue, Queens Village, Swissport USA; (3)Omaira Caraballo, 35, of 131 La Salle Drive, Yonkers, Swissport USA; (4)Carmen Diaz, 31, 190-19E 71 Cresent, Fresh Meadows, Lan Chile; (5)Betty Estrella, 26, 76 Dawes Avenue, Lynbrook, Lan Chile; (6)Luis Hernandez, 30, 198 Scheles Street, Brooklyn, Swissport USA; (7) Niurca Jackson, 39, 194 Eldert Street, Brooklyn, Swissport USA; (8)Mirna Melo, 40, 1015 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, Swissport USA; (9)Michael Morfa, 25, 136 Wilson Avenue, Brooklyn, A/C SVC INTL GROUP; (10)Edilson Norena, 20, 90-11 35th Avenue, Jackson Heights, Swissport USA; (11)Silvia Pagan, 28, 104-35 88th Avenue, Richmond Hill, Swissport USA; (12)Daisy Peralta, 31, 37-10 76th Street, Jackson Heights, Swissport USA and Lan Chile; (13)Joseph Perrera, 47, 86-48 90th Street, Woodhaven, Triangle; (14)Pierangely Presinal, 31, 108-19 101st Avenue, South Richmond Hill, Swissport USA; (15) Yamitza Ramos, 29, 31-31 80th Street, Jackson Heights, Swissport USA; (16)Ximena Ricaurte, 31, 34-22 105th Street, Corona, Swissport USA; (17) Jose Rivera, 34, 735 Lincoln Avenue, Brooklyn, Swissport USA; (18)Alejandra Santo, 21, 7203 Hillneyer Avenue, Arverne, Swissport USA; (19)Anya Carmack Worrell, 49, 539 Linwood Street, Brooklyn, Triangle.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Edwin Rodriguez of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department Criminal Investigation Bureau under the supervision of Lieutenant William Hanley and the overall supervision of Deputy Chief Robert Caron and Inspector George Albin.

Assistant District Attorney Purvi Patel of the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, is prosecuting the cases under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gerard A. Brave, Bureau Chief, and Marc P. Resnick, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely an accusation and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.