Westport Man Charged In $477,000 Check Scheme: U.S. Attorney

WESTPORT, CT — A 50-year-old Westport man was indicted by a federal grand jury this month with wire fraud related to an alleged $477,000 check misappropriation scheme, announced United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Neil A. Lott was indicted in federal court in New Haven on Jan. 3 and was arrested the next day in connection with the 2021 incident. He was arraigned in federal court in Bridgeport, and was released on a bond of $350,000.

If convicted of wire fraud, Lott faces a possible maximum prison term of 20 years.

In addition to Avery, Lott's indictment was also shared by Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Acting Inspector General Heather M. Hill of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas.

According to prosecutors, the alleged indictment and statements made in court, from 2017 until August 2021, Lott was a 51 percent owner of Pacific Atlantic Handling Services, LLC, a baggage handling company based at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In August 2021, he was terminated from the company for cause, but in November 2021, Lott opened a business bank account in the name of PAH without PAH’s knowledge or authorization.

"On November 30, 2021, Lott deposited into this account a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $477,167, paid to the order of PAH, for an Employee Retention Tax Credit," Avery said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the Westport Police Department, with assistance from the Port Authority Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry.