The last defendant in the Polar Air Cargo corruption case has pleaded guilty just before the trial was set to begin. Skye Xu, who ran Sky X Airlines, had paid kickbacks to Polar executives to secure a favorable deal for charter flights during the pandemic. The US government revealed that Atlas Air paid $46m to Sky X Airlines, who then paid out $4.3m to companies controlled by Polar executives. Other vendors also paid kickbacks, with some receiving prison sentences. Xu pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, while his companies remain operational. The majority of sentencing for the remaining executives will occur next year. Thomas Betenia, accused in the case, reportedly committed suicide months after the kickback scheme was discovered. One airline executive expressed shock at the corruption, mentioning that it explained a previous clear-out at Polar.
