U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman will hold a press conference this afternoon along with Port Authority inspector general Michael Nestor and Timothy Gallagher of the FBI’s Newark Field Office.
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David Samson, former chairman of the agency that controls New York City-area bridges, tunnels and airports, pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of soliciting a bribe for pressuring United Airlines to reinstate a money-losing flight offering convenient access to his vacation home.
United is the largest airline operating out of Newark Liberty International Airport, which is run by the Port Authority.
A former New Jersey attorney general, Samson was a legal adviser to Christie’s 2009 campaign for governor and led the transition committee after Christie was elected.
United Continental Holdings Inc Chief Executive Jeff Smisek and two other senior executives resigned in September 2015 after an internal probe into whether the airline tried to curry favor with Samson by adding non-stop flights between New Jersey and SC, where Samson had a vacation home. United will not face any charges if it abides by the terms of its new compliance program. According to reports, all three were present at September 2011 dinner when Samson requested the route. A Christie spokesman declined to comment, as did United officials. “Maybe it needs further review!” Following through on this exchange with Fox, Samson caused the hangar agreement to be removed from the Port Authority Board’s agenda.
The case involves a twice-weekly route between Newark and Columbia, S.C., which United operated between September 2012 and March 2014.
“They both should have known better”. The Port Authority Board then considered the hangar agreement on December 8, 2011, and approved it. Fox later emailed Samson: ‘Finally have their (United’s) attention. “Having item off/on this week worked”, according to prosecutors. Samson stepped down as chairman in March 2014, and the flights stopped several days later.
United Continental Holdings Inc Chief Executive Jeff Smisek and two other senior executives resigned in September 2015 after an internal probe into whether the airline tried to curry favor with Samson by adding non-stop flights between New Jersey and SC, where Samson had a vacation home.
Samson admitted that he used the flight from Newark to Columbia, South Carolina, 27 times between October 2011 and January 2014. “Samson and others referred to the Newark/Columbia route as the “Chairman’s Flight” and Fox referred to it as ‘Samson Air'”. United was not criminally charged, but slapped with a $2.3 million fine for its role in the case. He will have an initial appearance at a date to be determined.
Samson and Fox kept pressuring United, and when Samson put the agreement back on the agenda at a later meeting and got approval, Fox emailed Samson, “Finally have their (United’s) attention”. He is also a New Jersey delegate for Trump and is leading the delegation to Cleveland next week.
“As we move forward, continuing to earn and keep the trust of our employees, customers, shareholders, and the communities we serve around the world remains critical to our success”, Oscar Munoz, who took over as CEO after Smisek’s resignation, said in a statement.
United’s former CEO, Smisek, met privately with Christie and Samson, in August 2013 to discuss the airline’s and the state’s interests.
United also failed to report discussions about the Newark/Columbia route to law enforcement. The Bridgegate scandal stems from a five-day shutdown of several lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge that snarled traffic for hours.
A longtime friend of Trump’s, Christie is heading his White House transition team and is said to be on the businessman’s short list of possible vice presidential picks. Following his departure, the firm stripped itself of Samson’s name and rebranded as Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi P.C.
One of the New Jersey governor’s most trusted confidants pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of taking advantage of his position for personal benefit.
Critchley’s statement also included a reference to Fox’s health.
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The ex-lobbyist, Jamie Fox, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. “Jamie will not allow this unfair stain to be the last word on his distinguished career”.
