A man who posed as a flight attendant on four different airlines scammed 120 free flights over the course of years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Tuesday.
Tiron Alexander, 35, was convicted on June 5 of entering a secure area of an airport under false pretenses and wire fraud. Federal prosecutors said that between 2018 and 2024, Alexander booked free flights only available to pilots and flight attendants on an airline carrier’s website. The application process required applicants to provide their employer, date of hire and badge number.
Alexander flew 34 times with that airline, claiming to be a flight attendant, falsifying employment with seven airlines, and submitting about 30 different badge numbers, prosecutors said in the press release. The Transportation Security Administration investigated the case.
“The evidence at trial also showed that Alexander posed as a flight attendant on three other airline carriers,” prosecutors said. “Ultimately, Alexander booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant.”
Alexander’s indictment from October stated he had worked for an airline headquartered in Dallas since November 2015, but was never a pilot or flight attendant. Public defenders representing Alexander did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.
According to the indictment, the maximum sentencing for wire fraud and entering the secure airport areas under false pretenses is 20 years and 10 years in prison, respectively. Both charges carry a maximum of 3 years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Alexander’s sentencing is set for August 25.
