(NEW YORK) — A former supervisor at Kennedy Airport admitted Friday that she took bribes to allow Qatar and other countries to park their planes overnight during the United Nations General Assembly. Marlene Mizzi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities. She was sentenced to community service.
Mizzi, 55, granted an overnight parking exception to a Qatari diplomatic flight in 2014 without proper approval. In return, prosecutors said, she received free limousine rides, meals and gifts from the Qatari mission. “Mizzi broke the law and defiled the public’s trust when she granted favors to foreign governments in exchange for bribes, gifts and rewards,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a news release.
Mizzi’s defense attorney, Joseph Conway, said Mizzi was not involved in a “quid pro quo” but received improper “thank-you gifts” after the fact for helping Qatar. “It’s a violation of the rules, no question about it,” Conway..