Investigations

On February 24, 2021, a grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas indicted Debra Lynn Mercer-Erwin and Kayleigh Moffett, along with six other defendants, on charges of conspiracy to commit aircraft registration violations, money laundering, wire fraud, export violations, and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine. Mercer-Erwin was the owner and Moffett was an officer of Wright Brothers Aircraft Title Company and Aircraft Guaranty Holdings Corporation, both based in Oklahoma. The indictment alleged that from about 2014 to December 2020, Erwin and Moffett used their status as U.S. citizens, involving U.S. corporations, to execute a scheme to further international drug trafficking. They registered aircraft with FAA while concealing that the aircraft were owned by foreign nationals and falsely claimed they would adhere to all regulatory requirements. According to the indictment, Mercer-Erwin and Moffett exported some aircraft without completing export filings as required by law, and participated in bogus aircraft sales transactions to conceal the movement of illegally obtained funds. The indictment also alleged the defendants manufactured and distributed cocaine with reasonable cause to believe the cocaine would be imported into the United States.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

 

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