Financial Trouble Becomes The Least Of His Concerns

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that former American Airlines mechanic Paul Belloisi of Smithtown, New York, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for his actions in connection with a conspiracy to import cocaine.

The announcement was made by Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Darren B. McCormack, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York, and Francis J. Russo, Director of Field Operations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry issued the sentence in the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.

The case broke open when a routine inspection by CBP of an American Airlines flight after arriving at JFK International Airport in New York found about 25 pounds of cocaine bricks in a compartment beneath the cockpit. Agents replaced the cocaine with fake bricks and sprayed them with a substance that glows under illumination by an ultraviolet (UV) light.

Agents then placed the aircraft under surveillance and just before its scheduled next takeoff, Belloisi was observed driving to the aircraft and pulling himself into the compartment. When Belloisi was confronted, law enforcement saw his gloves glow under the UV light. After a week-long trial, Belloisi was convicted in May 2023. It was disclosed in court that Belloisi had filed for bankruptcy in 2020 but he now faces a much larger challenge ahead. The federal agents called him a corrupt inside man who put his personal gain ahead of the safety of the aviation industry.

Agent McCormack said, “His demise should send a message to anyone attempting to exploit the aviation industry.”

FMI:  www.justice.gov/