On July 13, 2021, Eduardo Aching was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for operating an airplane in a commercial capacity with a revoked airman’s certificate. Aching was indicted on May 20, 2021. According to a criminal complaint filed on May 7, 2021, FAA suspended Aching’s medical certificate for failing to report a driving under the influence arrest. However, Aching allegedly continued flying airplanes on at least 10 different occasions with the suspended medical certificate.
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07.28.2021
On July 12, 2021, Spectrum Painting Corp. (Spectrum), entered into a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Spectrum agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations of fraud connected to contracted painting work on the Federal Highway Administration–funded Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation Project and the Federal Transit Administration–funded Queens Plaza subway station painting project for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
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07.28.2021
On July 6, 2021, Christopher Cox was charged by an information in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to one count of violating the Clean Air Act, one count of smuggling goods into the United States, and one count of possession of child pornography. The information alleges that on an unknown date, no later than January 11, 2019, Cox falsified and filed Customs and Border Protection and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documentation to import a foreign manufactured motor vehicle into United States.
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07.28.2021
On July 2, 2021, a criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California charging Carl Bradley Johansson with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Johansson was arrested on July 8, 2021. The charges are related to a loan Johansson obtained under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus Act.
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07.27.2021
On June 30, 2021, AAR Corp (AAR), and its wholly owned subsidiary, AAR Airlift Group Inc. (Airlift), entered into a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Illinois and Middle District of Florida and the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division. AAR and Airlift agreed to pay $11,088,000 to resolve False Claims Act allegations connected to two aircraft maintenance contracts that Airlift held with the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).
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07.27.2021
Since March 2020, the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) funding has increased significantly with the about $69.5 billion it received to help U.S. transit systems mitigate the impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In April 2021, FTA announced that it was enhancing its oversight program to address challenges created by the magnitude of the funding, as well as changes in how recipients may use the funds.
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07.26.2021
What We Looked At
After Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage to transportation infrastructure in October 2012, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (DRAA) designated $10.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) new Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program. We assessed (1) FTA’s progress in allocating, obligating, and disbursing its Hurricane Sandy funding and (2) any weaknesses in these processes that we identified.
What We Found
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07.23.2021
On June 22, 2021,Ievgen Kariaka pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to participating in a $1.5 million–$3.5 million racketeering conspiracy related to a moving company enterprise. Members of the enterprise, including Kariaka, engaged in a scheme to defraud more than 1,800 individuals using moving companies located throughout the United States.
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07.20.2021
On May 3, 2021, Keith Thomas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa to operating an aircraft without an airman’s certificate. On January 21, Thomas was indicted by a Federal grand jury for knowingly and willfully serving as the pilot-in-command of an aircraft without having an airman's certificate. The investigation revealed that on June 20, 2018, while operating a Cessna twin engine aircraft, Thomas encountered problems with the aircraft and made an emergency landing.
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07.20.2021
On May 28, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland sentenced Michael Haak to 12 months of probation, a $5,000 fine, and a $10 special assessment. On the same date, Haak pleaded guilty to committing a lewd, indecent, and obscene act. On August 10, 2020, while serving as the captain and pilot-in-command of a Southwest Airlines flight, Haak intentionally disrobed and committed an indecent exposure of his genitals in a public place.
DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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07.20.2021