Rural Alaska

1 million Alaska Airlines miles reported stolen from Bethel health clinic

A million Alaska Airlines miles have been reported stolen from a family health clinic in Bethel, police said Friday.

"It appears that the miles were being diverted from the business, the corporate Alaska Airlines credit card, to a private person," said Bethel police chief Burke Waldron.

"It's been ongoing for quite some time," Waldron said. "We don't know for how long."

Bethel Family Clinic reported the theft to authorities March 30, the Bethel Police Department said in a news release.

It was too early to tell what the dollar amount of the miles – which has implications for whether any theft charges would be a misdemeanor or felony – would be, Waldron said. Police were also investigating whether other crimes were occurring besides the diverted miles.

"White-collar crime … can be convoluted. Is there fraud going on here, or embezzlement?" Waldron said.

He declined to say whether a person of interest identified in the case was an employee of the clinic.

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Nobody had been arrested as of Friday, Waldron said. The investigation is ongoing.

Alaska Airlines miles can be accumulated by flying with the airline and making purchases with associated credit cards. Those miles can then be exchanged for free flights.

One million miles appears to be a benchmark for the company, but only for people who have actually flown 1 million miles with the airlines. At that point the flyer receives MVP Gold status for life, and free food on every flight, Alaska Airlines' website says.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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