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John Pat Banister, Sr., 52, of Springfield, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court, to mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Banister, a former Telecommunications Service Manager at the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), was charged by information on April 5, 2018, with one count of mail fraud, after an investigation determined that he had used his airport credentials to fraudulently order 282 cell phones and sold them to another individual for profit. During the plea hearing, Banister admitted that from February 2015 through January 2017, he used his position and purchasing credentials to order the phones and that he personally profited from the scheme. According to court records, the MNAA paid approximately $134,627.21 for the cell phones.
At sentencing, Banister faces up to 20 years in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nashville International Airport Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Toussaint is prosecuting the case.
David Boling
Public Information Officer
615-736-5956
David.Boling2@usdoj.gov