Fake invoices, cash bribes, and free trips to Las Vegas helped secure lucrative airport contracts — now five men face serious charges.
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday announced indictments in three separate bribery and money laundering schemes that allegedly targeted Delta Airlines’ cargo operations at JFK Airport in Queens. The crimes stretch back to 2018 and involve high-level employees, shady payments, and millions in contracts.
“These individuals repeatedly broke the law, but today we are shutting down their pay-to-play schemes and holding them accountable,” James said in a statement.
The investigation, led by the Attorney General’s Office and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, uncovered how several cargo vendors bribed a Delta employee to keep or win contracts. The perks included $250,000 in cash, extravagant trips, and false “consulting” payments.
How the schemes worked
In the first case, Irfan Syed — CEO of Jet Way Security and Investigations — and director Beau Baer allegedly paid $8,000 every quarter to the Delta employee in exchange for keeping contracts in place. The money was laundered through fake invoices sent from a second company, Alliance Ground International (AGI), where a co-conspirator worked. The bribery included quarterly Las Vegas trips and yearly Atlantic City getaways, all paid for by Syed’s team.
In the second scheme, Raymond Kayume allegedly used his company, Kennedy Advanced Professional Services, to funnel bribes from another cargo vendor to the same Delta employee. The company would write fake checks to Kayume for non-existent work, who then split the money with the employee.
In the third case, Joseph Puzzo — a manager at American Compressed Gases — arranged to pay $2 to $3 in bribes per gas canister sold. The money was disguised as rent payments for fake office space through a third-party company.
Charges and court action
All five defendants — Syed, Baer, Kayume, Puzzo, and an unnamed co-conspirator — face a combination of charges that include commercial bribery, money laundering, falsifying business records, and conspiracy.
Syed and the co-conspirator face the most serious penalties, with possible sentences of five to fifteen years in prison. The others face up to four years if convicted.
All were arraigned Tuesday in Queens County Supreme Court. The charges are still allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Agencies promise more oversight
Port Authority Inspector General John Gay said the case highlights the need for honesty in managing New York’s key transportation hubs.
“Blatant bribes, fake invoices, and vacation kickbacks have no place in an environment that depends on honesty and accountability,” he said.
Homeland Security Investigations also played a role in the case, which will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Bureau.
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