Investigations

On July 17, 2019, pursuant to a previous plea agreement, Robert Kurrle forfeited $392,805 to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Asset Forfeiture Section. He previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Orlando, Florida, to falsely certifying thousands of commercial and private pilot examinations.

 

The investigation revealed that between January 1, 2017, and February 28, 2019, Kurrle performed approximately 3,814 airman medical examinations, earning an estimated $523,740 in fees. He admitted that approximately 75 percent of his examinations were fraudulent. He agreed to forfeit $392,805, 75 percent of his earnings and to pay $48,818.45 to reimburse FAA for the costs associated with retesting pilots.

 

Kurrle also issued medical certificates to airmen who did not pass material portions of their medical examinations. He then transmitted the fraudulent results to FAA, which relied on those results to determine whether the airmen could operate aircraft safely.

 

DOT-OIG and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted this investigation with substantial assistance from FAA’s Aeromedical Division.