Department of Justice: 2 men sentenced for defrauding JetBlue Airways of $10 million

Julien Levy, of Englewood, and Keily Nunez, a former JetBlue employee from Jamaica, New York will spend the next 20 to 40 months in prison.

Lanette Espy

May 6, 2024, 1:09 PM

Updated 160 days ago

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A JetBlue employee and a resident from New Jersey were sentenced Friday in federal court in Brooklyn for a fraud scheme involving JetBlue Airways, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The DOJ says 39-year-old Julien Levy, of Englewood, and 44-year-old Keily Nunez, a former JetBlue employee from Jamaica, New York, defrauded JetBlue Airways of $10 million.
The department says between July 2017 and June 2021, Nunez and another JetBlue unnamed employee accepted bribes from Levy in exchange for approving more than $1.5 million in aircraft part invoices between JetBlue and Levy’s company, Summit Aviation Supply.
According to the DOJ, Nunez also accepted bribes in connection with his approval of more than $8.5 million in aircraft part invoices between JetBlue and Alaris Aerospace Systems, a Florida-based aircraft parts seller a co-conspirator controlled.
HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan Arvelo says Levy and Nunez abused their positions of power to orchestrate a scheme that defrauded JetBlue Airways.
“Levy and Nunez went as far as manipulating the identity of a deceased airline employee to circumvent the company’s policies and procedures with the sole intention of enriching themselves," Arvelo said.
Officials also say Nunez was previously sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in connection with this role in a separate scheme to defraud the United States Small Business 2 Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program of $1.5 million by submitting false loan applications.
Levy and Nunez pleaded guilty in 2023 to committing honest services wire fraud and will spend the next 20 to 40 months in prison.