“Southwest Luv Vouchers” are usually issued by the airline to unhappy customers.
REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski//File Photo
A former Southwest employee created and sold fake travel vouchers, according to a June 5 indictment.
The airline usually issues Southwest Luv Vouchers to customers affected by delays and other circumstances.
Between February and June 2022, the former employee allegedly created vouchers for a value of nearly $2 million.
A customer service representative for Southwest Airlines at Midway Airport in Chicago when he allegedly created and sold fraudulent travel vouchers for a value of nearly $2 million.
That’s according to an indictment filed in federal court in Chicago on June 5.
DaJuan Martin is charged with 12 counts of wire fraud, while co-defendant Ned Brooks, who allegedly requested and bought the vouchers at below their stated value, is charged with four counts of wire fraud.
Federal prosecutors allege that Martin, who worked at Southwest from November 2018 to June 2022, used his employee credentials to create fake customer names and generate fake travel vouchers of the kind Southwest issues to customers who have experienced delays, cancellations, and other unfortunate circumstances.
Martin then sold the vouchers — known as Southwest Luv Vouchers — at a below-market price to Brooks and others, who weren’t entitled to them, without Southwest’s knowledge or permission, according to the indictment.
The indictment estimates this went on for about five months, from around February 2022 to around June 2022, and that Martin generated vouchers worth a total of more than $1.87 million.
An arraignment has been scheduled for June 20.
Southwest Airlines and lawyers representing Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A lawyer representing Brooks declined to comment.