BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – A former Delta Airlines employee was sentenced today for smuggling thousands of dollars of what he believed to be drug money past security checkpoints at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Dino Dunkley, 29, of Mattapan, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $3,000. Dunkley previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony.
A federal undercover operation was initiated at Logan Airport in August 2012, after federal agents discovered lapses in airport security and the potential for airline employees to smuggle contraband around the employee security system. Dunkley was one of five individuals identified as a potential smuggler.
On two occasions between October 2012 and December 2012, Dunkley used airport security credentials to evade Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and smuggled $100,000, which was represented to be drug proceeds, from a non-secure airport area to the secured passenger departure area of Logan. Dunkley was paid $3,000 as compensation from a cooperating witness. Unbeknownst to Dunkley, the cash smuggling plan was part of an undercover sting operation.
Four other airport workers, all former JetBlue Airways employees, identified in the investigation were previously sentenced for similar offenses. In January 2015, Rupert Crossley was sentenced to two years in prison and Anthony Trotman was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Eric Vick was sentenced in May 2015 to 18 months in prison. Alvin Leacock was sentenced in December 2015 to 18 months in prison.
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Bob Allison, Federal Security Director of the Transportation Security Administration; Dwain Troutt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Air Marshal Service; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the Massachusetts Port Authority, JetBlue Airways Corporate Security and Delta Airlines. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. López, Maxim Grinberg, and Dustin Chao of Ortiz’s Criminal Division.
