ATLANTA — A Chicago man from Ukraine is accused of scheming Delta's SkyBonus miles program to the tune of 42 million points - a $1.75 million value, by fraudulently routing points to a relative's fertility center.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Byung J. "BJay" Pak, announced the indictment on Friday of Gennady Podolsky, a U.S. citizen from Ukraine who runs a travel business in Chicago.
The federal indictment alleges that Podolsky would book travelers through his legitimate business, Vega International Travel Services, Inc., but claim the points on those trips for an account linked to his family member's fertility center.
The 43-year-old racked up 42 million SkyBonus business points for the fertility center, the indictment alleges, between March 2014 and April 2015.
SkyBonus is Delta's business program equivalent to the individual SkyMiles program.
The U.S. Attorney's Office did not outline how Podolsky's scheme was discovered.
“Podolsky used his knowledge of the travel industry to take advantage of his travel agency clients,” Pak said. “Through his access, he allegedly took advantage of Delta Airlines corporate frequent flyer program, illegally reaping millions of SkyBonus points worth more than $1.75 million dollars.”
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