Investigations

On December 12, 2019, a Federal grand jury in the District Court of Guam returned a superseding indictment against John D. Walker, owner of Hansen Helicopters, Inc., and company employees Marvin R. Reed, Kenneth R. Crowe, and Phillip T. Kapp. The charges included aircraft parts fraud, employing a pilot without a pilot’s certificate, employing a mechanic without a mechanic’s certificate, bribery, and aircraft registration violations. Charges were also filed against the company itself, as well as Randall Rodgers of Valdosta, Georgia.

 

According to the initial May 2018 indictment, beginning as early as 1997, Walker, Reed, Crowe, and Kapp circumvented U.S. aviation safety regulations to maximize profits at Hansen Helicopters. They allegedly used aircraft that had been deregistered—because it was destroyed, scrapped, or otherwise deemed not airworthy—and concealed that fact in documents and records submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.