BOSTON - A former JetBlue Airways employee was sentenced yesterday for smuggling thousands of dollars of what he believed to be drug money past security checkpoints at Logan International Airport.
Anthony Trotman, 24, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor to 14 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in criminal forfeiture. In October 2014, Trotman waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a five-count Information charging conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and three counts of illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony.
A federal undercover operation revealed that on three occasions from July 2013 through February 2014, Trotman used airport security credentials to evade TSA security and smuggled $125,000, which was represented to be drug proceeds, from non-secure airport. In return, Trotman received a total of $3,000 as compensation from a cooperating witness involved in the investigation.
Co-defendant Rupert Crossley pleaded guilty in October 2014 to a four-count Information charging money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and three counts of illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony. Crossley was sentenced on Jan. 7, 2015, before U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,000 in criminal forfeiture.
Three additional co-defendants are alleged to have also used their airport credentials to evade security as part of the scheme. Alvin Leacock, Eric Vick and Dino Dunkley were indicted in September 2014 for a money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering, and illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The case was investigated with the assistance of Bob Allison, Federal Security Director, Transportation Security Administration; Dwain Troutt, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Air Marshal Service; and Colonel Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the Massachusetts Port Authority, JetBlue Airways Corporate Security and Delta Airlines. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. López of Ortiz’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit and Dustin Chao of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
