Airline Employee Arrested in Theft of Aircraft Parts

Office of Inspector General

Title:	Airline Employee Arrested in Theft of Aircraft Parts
Date:	December 18, 2001
Type:	Investigation
Summary:	Alvin Randolph, an American Eagle airline employee at the Columbus, Ohio airport, was arrested by special agents of the U.S. DOT-OIG (OIG) and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF), after selling numerous stolen aircraft parts to an undercover agent in exchange for cash and machine guns. During the course of a three-month joint OIG and ATF investigation, Randolph boasted to the undercover agent he could obtain a variety of stolen aircraft parts along with documents falsely certifying the parts met the highest quality standards. One of the items sold was a cockpit/cargo key stolen by Randolph, which reportedly would work on all American Airlines aircraft. Randolph has been charged in a criminal complaint with violating the Suspected Unapproved Parts law, false statements and Federal firearms charges.