Six former Southwest Airlines employees facing federal wire fraud charges have all pleaded guilty.

El Paso's U.S. Attorney's Office said Richard De La Paz Jr., Michelle Torres, Denise Nunez, Oscar Ortiz, Melissa Lampton and Barbara Wilson all pleaded guilty for their roles in an airline ticket scheme, in which they allegedly cheated Southwest out of more than $1 million in El Paso.

Two other defendants also made deals with federal prosecutors.

In March 2006, a federal grand jury indictment charged the six defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three substantive wire fraud charges. In addition, Salena, Corinne De La Torre and Guillermo Enriquez were charged with three counts of wire fraud.

"These Southwest Airlines employees were ripping off their employer to a tune that was more than just peanuts," stated United States Attorney Johnny Sutton.

The defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and face a maximum five-year sentence and $250,000 fine. The government is seeking restitution in excess of $1 million from these defendants.