7NEWS Investigates: Felons Working For United Airlines
John Ferrugia Report Aired Nov. 28, 2001
Long before Sept. 11, 7NEWS Investigations uncovered major holes in security at Denver International Airport.
Now, after all the new security measures, there are some new questions.
Would you allow a felon convicted of theft to handle your bags at the airport? How about your mail?
You probably think the airlines screen out anyone with a felony record.
So did 7NEWS Investigator John Ferrugia, until he began checking the backgrounds of some United Airlines employees.
7NEWS matched up several hundred United Airlines employees with Colorado court records. In this random check, we turned up serious questions about United's background checks.
7NEWS found felons who have committed serious crimes -- felons who have access to the most sensitive and secure areas of the nation's airports -- access to your bags, your mail, and the airplanes you fly on.
When United officials were asked how their employees got through their security checks, they first said that it was impossible.
That's not what 7NEWS found.
One United employee was upset with his girlfriend, so he doused her house with gasoline and set it on fire. He pled guilty to felony arson. Records show that he has a drinking problem.
But even with this felony record, he still works on jet engines for United Airlines.
Court records show one employee served time in jail. He was ordered to pay more than $340,000 in restitution, and in 1999 he violated his probation with another DUI
and is still on probation.
Even so, he said that he worked out a deal with United to keep his job.
"It was actually a work-release program," he said.
He was a convicted felon on work release from jail, but according to longstanding FAA rules, felony arson is one of 25 crimes that prohibit anyone from getting a security pass to work at the airport.
How could United "make a deal" to bypass the rules?
"What worked out was the fact that I could maintain my job and do restitution for the damages that were there. So it was more or less a package. I wouldn't call it a deal or not, but it all worked hand in hand," the employee said.
His case is only one of several that raise serious questions about United's security procedures.
Another United employee received a deferred judgement in a plea agreement on felony forgery charges in 1998 for trying to obtain illegal drugs. He works on the ramp and in United's aircraft, handling your mail and your checked baggage. He told 7NEWS that United conducted his background check and never asked him about his felony record.
Yet another United employee pled guilty earlier this year to a felony in connection with a violent outburst in which he took a baseball bat to another person's car while the driver was at the wheel.
He is currently on two years of probation. Records show he is also wanted in California.
Even so, he was given a security badge with access to some of the most secure areas of DIA.
7NEWS also found a United employee who is on six years of probation and is paying more than $10,000 in restitution after defrauding the state of Colorado.
He pled guilty to a felony. Even though he is known to be dishonest, United has him handling your bags at DIA.
"I don't want them there. That's my opinion," said Billie Vincent, former head of security for the FAA.
"I don't want them messing with my bags or other people's bags. If they have that conviction, then, as far as I am concerned, they are suspect," Vincent said. "I am not comfortable with that at all."
Another United employee was convicted of armed robbery in the mid-1980s, served time in prison, and didn't finish his parole until 1992.
He was furloughed earlier this month because the airline business has been slow.
7NEWS: "When you applied with United, given your background some years ago, were you surprised you got the job?"
Furloughed United employee: "I was. I was surprised."
7NEWS: "You think they'd come back and ask you questions about this?"
Furloughed United employee: "I thought they would."
7NEWS: "But they didn't?"
Furloughed United employee: "They didn't."
He also was given a security pass to work on the ramp with access to most areas of the airport.
According to the FAA, before December of last year, serious felonies like theft, forgery and some violent crimes wouldn't prevent someone from getting a security pass at the nation's airports.
It was only recently that FAA rules changed. Now, potential employees are questioned about any felonies they've committed.
After Sept. 11, it is unlikely that any of the employees described in this report now working for United would be given security passes at DIA.
But even under the old rules, United was required to conduct criminal background checks. How could felons have gotten on the payroll?
Did United Airlines knowingly hire convicted felons to work in secure areas of the airport and handle your bags, freight, and mail? Or, did the company simply conduct inadequate background checks?
United's security manager in Denver asked for and was given the names of the employees with felony records.
Even so, neither United Airlines' station chief in Denver or United management in Chicago would respond to the serious questions 7NEWS' story has raised.
The local station chief charged that the story is unfair because it is focusing exclusively on United and not other airlines. He is concerned, he said, that the story "would hurt United's brand in Denver."
Clearly, 7NEWS Investigates doesn't see this as a marketing issue, but rather as a safety issue.
It is unclear if United has broken any laws.
The FAA rules have changed over the years to tighten up security, and some employees may be grand-fathered in as far as the law is concerned.
But the real issue is United's business practice. What major corporation knowingly hires recently convicted felons in security sensitive positions?
Will such employees continue to hold security passes at DIA? Does United have adequate security background checks?
These are all questions United declined to answer.
More Information:
Previous Stories:
Would you allow a felon convicted of theft to handle your bags at the airport? How about your mail?
You probably think the airlines screen out anyone with a felony record.
So did 7NEWS Investigator John Ferrugia, until he began checking the backgrounds of some United Airlines employees.
7NEWS matched up several hundred United Airlines employees with Colorado court records. In this random check, we turned up serious questions about United's background checks.
7NEWS found felons who have committed serious crimes -- felons who have access to the most sensitive and secure areas of the nation's airports -- access to your bags, your mail, and the airplanes you fly on.
When United officials were asked how their employees got through their security checks, they first said that it was impossible.
That's not what 7NEWS found.
One United employee was upset with his girlfriend, so he doused her house with gasoline and set it on fire. He pled guilty to felony arson. Records show that he has a drinking problem.
But even with this felony record, he still works on jet engines for United Airlines.
Court records show one employee served time in jail. He was ordered to pay more than $340,000 in restitution, and in 1999 he violated his probation with another DUI
and is still on probation.
Even so, he said that he worked out a deal with United to keep his job.
"It was actually a work-release program," he said.
He was a convicted felon on work release from jail, but according to longstanding FAA rules, felony arson is one of 25 crimes that prohibit anyone from getting a security pass to work at the airport.
How could United "make a deal" to bypass the rules?
"What worked out was the fact that I could maintain my job and do restitution for the damages that were there. So it was more or less a package. I wouldn't call it a deal or not, but it all worked hand in hand," the employee said.
His case is only one of several that raise serious questions about United's security procedures.
Another United employee received a deferred judgement in a plea agreement on felony forgery charges in 1998 for trying to obtain illegal drugs. He works on the ramp and in United's aircraft, handling your mail and your checked baggage. He told 7NEWS that United conducted his background check and never asked him about his felony record.
| In our 7NEWS Investigates story regarding background checks of United Airlines employees, we broadcast a picture of the United Airlines ramp worker mentioned above, and reported that he is a convicted felon. To clarify our report, in July 1998, this employee, who declines to be named, pled guilty to a felony -- to obtaining controlled substances by forgery and alteration. The judgment of conviction for a felony was deferred by the Court for a period of four years. Court records indicate the guilty plea will be withdrawn and the charges dismissed with prejudice if the employee satisfies the terms of his probation. |
It is unclear if United has broken any laws.
The FAA rules have changed over the years to tighten up security, and some employees may be grand-fathered in as far as the law is concerned.
But the real issue is United's business practice. What major corporation knowingly hires recently convicted felons in security sensitive positions?
Will such employees continue to hold security passes at DIA? Does United have adequate security background checks?
These are all questions United declined to answer.
More Information:
- Contact 7NEWS Investigates about this story
- United Airlines
- Denver International Airport
- October 16, 2001: 7NEWS Investigates: DIA Security Passes Update
- October 16, 2001: 7NEWS Investigates: DIA Security Badges
- October 13, 2001: 7NEWS Investigates: Airport Security Allegations
- July 17, 2001: 7NEWS Investigates: DIA Security Flaws
- January 18, 2001: Real Estate Brokers With Felonies, Follow-Up
- January 18, 2001: Real Estate Brokers With Felonies
- January 18, 2001: Felons On The City Payroll
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
