Revoked South Florida Repair Station Shop Supervisor Convicted at Trial for Aircraft Parts Conspiracy
On August 31, 2012, after a four week trial, Dennis Romero, Shop Supervisor, Aircraft Transparencies Repair (ATR) and Transparencies Engineering Group (TEG), was convicted in U.S. District Court, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for his participation in an aircraft parts conspiracy. Three lower level ATR mechanics and a salesperson were acquitted by the same jury. A separate mechanic, Hermes Reyes, pled guilty prior to the start of the trial.
On March 22, 2012, a multi-count indictment was filed against 16 employees of ATR and TEG for conspiracy to sell and falsely certify to commercial aviation customers the airworthiness of aircraft cockpit windows. The investigation revealed that from approximately August 2009, to August 2010, ATR's employees continued repairing aircraft cockpit windows despite having its repair station certificate revoked in July 2009. As part of the scheme, ATR/TEG purchased "as removed" aircraft cockpit windows in the open market and backdated documents, to make it appear to the customer that the windows had been retrieved from their inventory prior to the repair station certificate revocation. Additionally, serial numbers on the windows sent to ATR by customers were changed to further make it appear that all work had been done prior to the revocation.
This investigation is being worked jointly with the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with substantial assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.