How feds say former P. A. head shook down United Airlines

[TexasTowelie]

David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority, faces sentencing Monday on bribery charges in connection with a scheme to force United Airlines to schedule a non-stop flight for his sole benefit. Samson wanted the airline to fly from Newark Liberty International Airport to South Carolina, where he had a second home.

The one-time state attorney general and high-power attorney admitted he abused his power to coerce one of the nation's largest airlines into putting the money-losing route into service, by withholding approval of a critical new maintenance facility at the Newark Liberty, which is operated by the Port Authority.

In a series of pre-sentence legal briefs filed last week with U.S. District Judge Jose Linares, the U.S. Attorney's office provided new details on the bizarre scheme that could put Samson, 77, in prison for as many as 24 months.

Rest Period

Samson and his wife owned a horse country estate in Aiken, S.C., they called "Rest Period," which refers to the break in play during a polo match. After Samson bought the home, an interior designer told Augusta magazine he "decorated the entire house from floorboards to ceilings with 18th- and 19th-century French and Italian antiques."

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/how_david_samson_scored_his_own_personal_dream_fli.html