Ex-Airport Employee Pleads Guilty In Cell Phone Scam

NASHVILLE, TN -- A former employee at Nashville International Airport pleaded guilty in federal court Monday in a six-figure cell phone resell scam.

Former BNA telecommunications service manager John Pat Banister Sr., 52, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Banister admitted that over a nearly two year period between February 2015 and January 2017, he used his purchasing authority to order 282 cell phones, which he then sold to another person for re-sale.

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The Metro Nashville Airport Authority paid $134,627.21 for the cell phones.

Initially, the airport authority, through the airport police, investigated before turning over the evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney, who charged Banister in April.

Though he's unlikely to receive the maximum sentence, Banister could face as much as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

When the MNAA board fired then-CEO Rob Wigington, board members cited his failure to brief them on the cell-phone scheme investigation as one of the reasons for his dismissal.

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