3 Guilty of Defrauding Airline in Ticket Scam
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Three men were convicted Wednesday of defrauding American Airlines out of $1.3 million by obtaining free flights through a Woodland Hills travel agency that had access to the airline’s computer reservation system.
A federal jury deliberated one day before convicting James Robert Winkleman, 35, and Phillip Ross Rinker, 35, owners of North Ranch Travel agency. A third man, Brenton Neil Mullins, 29, of Playa del Rey also was convicted.
Winkleman was convicted on 14 charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and other counts, while the other men were convicted on 10 criminal counts.
From 1986 to 1988, the now-defunct North Ranch Travel agency leased American Airlines computerized reservations terminals.
The defendants used the terminals to set up frequent flier accounts under fictitious names and then credited flights taken by actual passengers to the bogus accounts, Assistant U.S. Atty. Gary Lincenberg alleged during a one-week trial.
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