- A former British Airways executive was indicted in New York on Tuesday on accusations of bribery and money laundering.
- The executive, Steven Clark, is accused of accepting more than $5 million in payments from Jeff Kinsella, the CEO of an airport contractor, while he oversaw British Airways' operations at New York JFK Airport's Terminal 7.
- Kinsella was also indicted.
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A former British Airways executive was indicted in New York on Tuesday on charges of alleged corruption.
Steven Clark was the manager of Terminal 7 at JFK International Airport in New York, which primarily houses British Airways. According to a criminal complaint filed by the New York State Attorney General's office, Clark is accused of receiving more than $5 million in bribes from Ground Services International (GSI), a contractor that provides certain airport services.
Former GSI CEO Jeff Kinsella was also indicted. The criminal complaint alleges that the bribery scheme occurred between 2011 and 2016.
Terminal 7 is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but British Airways leases the terminal and selects its own service providers.
Clark and Kinsella were also indicted on charges of money laundering. Kinsella is accused of paying Clark by funneling money through a limited-liability company to a shell company. The filing alleges that Kinsella created fake invoices, and Clark used those to bill GSI for nonexistent consulting services. Kinsella was also accused of granting Clark an undisclosed five-percent ownership interest in GSI, for which Clark received $3.6 million after the company was sold in 2016.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that both Clark and Kinsella engaged in other corruption, including Kinsella paying more than $640,000 in bribes to an official at another JFK terminal, and Clark receiving bribes - also laundered through the shell company - from another unnamed vendor.
"Today's indictment sends a clear message to airline companies and airport vendors: pay-to-play schemes will not fly in New York," said Letitia James, New York's Attorney General.
"For years, Kinsella, GSI's former CEO and owner, and Clark, a former British Airways executive, broke the law and invalidated the trust of the millions of people that use Terminal 7 each year in an effort to line their own pockets."