Hubbard Bell Guilty

A former Mesa Airlines employee has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge for his role in a scheme to manufacture counterfeit airline identification badges to obtain free flights. Hubbard Bell, 32, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty via videoconference to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to his plea agreement, Bell worked at Mesa Airlines, a Phoenix-based regional airline, from June 2015 until October 2015. During his employment, Bell was provided access to free tickets as a job benefit. However, this benefit was only permitted for Mesa employees and their designated beneficiaries while they were employed by the airline.

Bell admitted that, from February 2016 to November 2017, after his employment with Mesa was terminated, he conspired with others to sell stolen and unauthorized information of Mesa employees. This information included names, dates of hire, and employee identification numbers, which were used to book free flights on Spirit Airlines through the airline’s web portal.

As part of the scheme, Bell received confidential Mesa employee information via email, including details for dozens of Mesa Airlines workers based in Dallas and Houston. He used this information to fraudulently obtain 34 free airline tickets, allowing him to fly interstate, including into and out of Los Angeles International Airport, despite no longer being employed by Mesa Airlines.

Bell also admitted to manufacturing and selling fraudulent Mesa employee identification cards for use by other individuals involved in the scheme. The case against Bell was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the Federal Air Marshal Service and the Transportation Security Administration.

United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald has scheduled a December 7 sentencing hearing, at which time Bell will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section.

The case against other defendants, including Kamille Jemison, 28, a former Houston resident who subsequently relocated to the Beverly Grove district of Los Angeles, and Alphonso Lloyd, 27, of Houston, is ongoing. They are expected to go to trial in the spring of 2021. The investigation and prosecution of this case highlight the commitment of law enforcement agencies to combating fraud and protecting the integrity of the airline industry.

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