Florida Pilot Sentenced for Falsifying his Immigration Status on his Airman and Medical Applications

Office of Inspector General

Title:	Florida Pilot Sentenced for Falsifying his Immigration Status on his Airman and Medical Applications
Date:	June 10, 2008
Type:	Investigation
Summary:	On June 10, 2008, Sebastian Esteban Roca was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Miami, Florida, to time already served during his 90–day imprisonment awaiting sentencing, as well as 2 years of supervised release, for falsifying his immigration status and falsifying his airman and medical forms. The investigation revealed that Mr. Roca, a pilot for Spirit Airlines, had made false statements since 2002 on his airman and medical forms regarding his immigration status. U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) agents notified FAA that Mr. Roca, born in Argentina, had falsely claimed to be born in Havana, Cuba, in order to become a permanent resident in the United States. Further investigation disclosed that the latest incident occurring in 2007 for an Airbus 320–type rating, which allowed Mr. Roca to maintain employment with Spirit Airlines as a pilot. This investigation was conducted jointly with DHS/ICE and FAA.