Three More Charged in Airline Ticket Scheme

Federal authorities have charged three more people, including two Bexar County sheriff's deputies, in a case involving thousands of tickets officials say were taken illegally from Southwest Airlines.

Deputy Mark Edward Kedrowski, 35, court bailiff Pedro Martinez Jr., 44, and Mattie Laverne Epperson, 52, a retired SBC employee, are named in an indictment a federal grand jury returned Wednesday.

The three are accused of participating in a conspiracy in which free tickets meant for inconvenienced customers were taken from Southwest and were distributed for profit at the Bexar County Courthouse and Epperson's former workplace, the indictment alleges.

All three turned themselves in Thursday and were released later on unsecured bonds after initial hearings. Kedrowski and Martinez entered not-guilty pleas. Epperson's lawyer said she will plead not guilty later.

The three are accused in the indictment of selling the tickets or giving them to friends and associates. More coverage June 10: Ticket scandal suspect was a public face for airline June 9: Ex-Bexar bailiff, 5 others charged in air ticket scam

Epperson's cousin, ex-bailiff James Jackson, 41, and his wife, Althea Holden Jackson, 34, are accused of distributing more than 5,600 tickets that allegedly were taken fraudulently by Althea Jackson. She was an administrative assistant for Southwest from January 2001 through September 2005.

The indictment replaces one filed last month, bringing to 10 the total number of suspects charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, which carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison.

Besides conspiracy, the Jacksons also face a count of access device fraud and have pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors said the so-called "Non Revenue Must Ride" tickets, set aside by the airline for inconvenienced customers, are the "devices" that allowed holders to access round-trip air travel.

James Jackson is a former Bexar County sheriff's deputy and bailiff who resigned Dec. 14 amid a probe by a task force that includes federal, state and local law officers. Althea Jackson's duties at Southwest included dispensing the tickets to inconvenienced customers.

The indictment alleges Althea Jackson took the tickets under false pretenses, and that the Jacksons created an informal distribution network through friends and relatives at SBC and the courthouse.

The indictment said the Jacksons sold the tickets for $100 to $200 -- far less than the price Southwest Airlines could get in the marketplace. The indictment pegs the loss at $1.8 million.

The tickets state "Not for resale" but allow travel on short notice anywhere the airline flies.

Some of the tickets made it into the hands of public figures, including judges, the district attorney and district clerk, who told the San Antonio Express-News they assumed the tickets were obtained legitimately.

Bexar County Deputy Chief Charles Benson said Martinez has been with his agency since 1989, most recently as a bailiff assigned to various courtrooms. Kedrowski has been a deputy since 1992 and was assigned to the court's mental health unit, Benson said. Both were placed on unpaid administrative leave pending further review, Benson said.

Epperson's lawyer, Alex Scharff, said he expects his client to be exonerated.

"I think the government's really over-reaching as to Mattie," Scharff said. "They know she didn't profit from (the tickets). She believed everything was legitimate and on the up and up."

Nico LaHood, one of Martinez's lawyers, said he would work on clearing Martinez's name.

Kedrowski's lawyer, Pat Moran, said Kedrowski bought tickets from James Jackson for other people, but made no profit.

"They paid him exactly what he paid Jackson. He made not one single red cent," Moran said. "If you're a ticket scalper, you're the worst ticket scalper in the universe if you don't make money off it."

Staff Writer Elizabeth Allen contributed to this report.

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