On October 20, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Patrick Longsworth to 24 months of incarceration, 36 months of supervised release, and a $300 assessment. Longsworth was convicted of pointing a laser at U.S. Coast Guard and Miami Dade Police helicopters on June 21, 2023.
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11.01.2023
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11.01.2023
On October 18, 2023, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah indicted Jonathan J. Dunn for interfering with the crew of a commercial airline flight.
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10.31.2023
On October 5, 2023, Christopher Harris pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Western Washington to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
The investigation revealed that on November 20, 2022, Harris aimed the beam of a laser pointer at, and in the flight path of, two airplanes that were in flight near Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington. One pilot suffered visual impairment when the laser beam illuminated the cockpit during landing.
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10.31.2023
On September 13, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Dustin Rhine pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. In April 2023, Rhine, along with 10 other individuals and 3 companies, was charged for their involvement in a scheme to disable the emissions controls on hundreds of semi-trucks.
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10.26.2023
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) plays a significant role in promoting the safety of our Nation’s public transit system through its oversight of State Safety Oversight programs. States with rail fixed guideway public transportation systems must establish State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOA) to receive Federal funding, and FTA is responsible for overseeing SSOAs’ compliance with Federal requirements. In response to a directive in House of Representatives Report 117-99, we are initiating this audit.
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10.25.2023
On October 11, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York sentenced former pilot Noah Felice to 1 month of incarceration, 3 years of supervised release (including 3 months of home confinement), and a $100 court assessment. Felice was convicted on December 7, 2022, for making false statements to FAA.
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10.24.2023
On October 10, 2023, Frank Lizza, owner and officer of Intercounty Paving Associates, LLC, and Ramon De Los Santos, an Intercounty employee, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to making false statements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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10.24.2023
On May 11, 2023, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee indicted Mohammed Al-Abadi for trafficking counterfeit goods and causing the criminal transportation of hazardous materials by an air carrier. The indictment alleges that, between at least October 2019 and January 2021, Al-Abadi trafficked counterfeit motor vehicle airbag systems and components from China—including airbag inflators, which DOT regulations classify as hazardous materials.
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10.11.2023
On September 20, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Michigan filed an information charging Daniel Israel, president and part-owner of an asphalt paving company, with conspiracy to commit bid-rigging. According to the information, as early as March 2013 until at least November 2018, Israel entered into and engaged in a conspiracy with another company and co-conspirators to suppress and eliminate competition by agreeing to rig bids for asphalt paving services in Michigan.
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10.11.2023