Investigations
Two Denver Men Plead Guilty to Flying an Unregistered Aircraft
On April 13 and April 15, 2016, Scott Lewis and Gilbert W. Wiles pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Cheyenne, WY, to unlawfully operating an unregistered aircraft. In January 2016, both men were charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and conspiracy to operate an unregistered aircraft. The conspiracy charge was dismissed when they entered their guilty pleas.
According to the indictment, Lewis was present in approximately April 2013 when Wiles purchased a Cessna 206 from a seller in Austin, TX, for $130,000 in cash. The indictment alleged that neither of them applied to register the aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration, as required by Federal law, before operating the aircraft at various U.S. airports. Their flight activities were discovered after they landed the aircraft at the Yellowstone Regional Airport in February 2014.
On May 2, 2016, a preliminary forfeiture order was issued for the aircraft.