Investigations
Arizona Aircraft Broker Sentenced for Possessing Firearms as a Convicted Felon and Attempting Escape
On September 13, 2018, Bryan Strelski, owner of First Coast Aviation, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in Arizona Superior Court, Maricopa County, to 10½ years’ incarceration for one count of misconduct involving weapons, one count of escaping, and one count of interfering with a monitoring device. In August 2017, he was indicted on weapons charges. In 2012, Strelski had pleaded guilty to financial structuring charges, which made him a convicted felon and prevented him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
First Coast Aviation is an aircraft brokering business. Strelski allegedly falsified airman logbooks and attempted to sell a totaled aircraft he obtained at an insurance auction without disclosing any of its damage history. He also presented himself as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic to buyers, although FAA had never issued him an A&P certificate.
During the course of the DOT-OIG investigation, information from multiple sources indicated Strelski had firearms in his possession. DOT-OIG coordinated with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Phoenix Field Division, which arrested Strelski in July 2017.