Former ticketing specialist pleads guilty to defrauding Delta Air Lines

ATLANTA - Aquil Muhammad, who sold fraudulently issued Delta Air Lines tickets, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

“Muhammad exploited his position of trust at Delta to enrich himself by selling fraudulent tickets,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “He was even bold enough to use his personal email address as the contact person for some of the illegal transactions.”    

“With this guilty plea, Muhammad acknowledges his criminal wrongdoing and can now be held accountable for his selfish actions,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will always strive to expose corrupt employees that take advantage of their trusted positions of employment.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court:  Aquil Muhammad worked as a Delta Air Lines ticketing specialist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2016, he began issuing no-fare tickets to various individuals, including family members and other acquaintances. 

Muhammad issued non-revenue tickets without a corresponding Non-Cash Incentive Certificate.  That is, he issued free tickets, without compensation to Delta.  These non-revenue tickets generated tax liability to Delta even though they had no associated cost.  Muhammad also created fraudulent Transportation Credit Vouchers and Delta Travel Vouchers to cover the required taxes. 

Muhammad issued these non-revenue tickets from late 2016 through December 2017.  He ultimately issued more than 230 tickets, with a lost revenue total of approximately $447,000.  Each of the tickets were issued using Muhammad’s unique agent security identifier.  In addition, many of the tickets included Muhammad’s personal email address as the contact for the passenger.  He would sell these free tickets, often being paid through Square.

Sentencing for Aquil Muhammad, 36, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is scheduled for June 7, 2023, at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.