Feds: Local Man Endangered Airspace

Federal authorities say a man endangered the country’s airspace with falsified aircraft modification certifications he provided to a client, the Dubai government.

Andrew Kent Anderson, 57, was arrested and had his initial appearance today in federal court in Rome following an indictment on wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire fraud charges.

According to U.S. Attorney Sally Q. Yates, the indictment and information presented in court, Anderson was an aviation consultant hired to assist clients in securing Federal Aviation Administration approval for modifications those clients planned for several airplanes, including a Boeing 747 and two Avro jets. 

The planes are owned and operated by Dubai Air Wing, which is an agency of the country’s government. Anderson is accused of provided clients and DAW officials with certificates for the planes purportedly issued by the FAA.

Prosecutors say the documents were never issued by the U.S. agency. Anderson is alleged to have defrauded his clients of more than $630,000, fees he collected for assisting with the documents between April 2008 and June of last year.

Charged with nine counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with a 5-year maximum prison sentence, Anderson on Dec. 20 was indicted by a federal grand jury. He could be fined up to $250,000 for each of the 10 counts.

Anderson is accused of conspiring with Tod Anderson, 54, of Portage, MI, who Dec. 14 pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud in relation to the certificates provided for the Boeing 747 aircraft. Scheduled to be sentenced next month, Tod Anderson could get five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“The Federal Aviation Administration works diligently to ensure the safety of this country’s airspace, and does so, in part, by ensuring that modifications to aircraft are certified as safe,” Yates said in a press release. “Andrew Anderson is charged with bypassing the certification process by providing false and fraudulent FAA certifications to his clients who sought his assistance with obtaining legitimate FAA certifications.”

United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General special agents investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Bly is prosecuting it.