Press Release
FRAUDULENT AIRCRAFT PARTS SUPPLIER SENTENCED ON FRAUD CHARGES
March 9, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John Long, Special Agent in Charge, Miami Field Office, United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General, Rebecca Amy Tamcheck, Resident Agent in Charge, Fort Lauderdale Resident Agency, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Richard Berger, Lead Agent, Detachment 117-Melbourne OL-A, United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Melissa Chedotal, Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Division, United States Department of Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Henry Gutierrez, Postal Inspection in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, announced today's sentencing of defendant George Myles, Jr., the owner of Miles Aviation, Inc., located in Pompano Beach, Florida, following his conviction after trial on 13 of 14 counts of a federal Indictment which charged him with violating the Aircraft Safety Act of 2000. Specifically, defendant George Myles, Jr., 58, of Parkland, was convicted for making materially fraudulent representations concerning the condition of aircraft parts, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 38.
Earlier today in federal court in Miami, United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced George Myles, Jr. to a 76 month term of imprisonment and a 2-year term of supervised release. Today's sentencing followed a two-week jury trial which concluded in late November of 2006.
According to the evidence at trial, between July 2005 and February 2006, George Myles, Jr., the owner Miles Aviation, Inc., was awarded numerous Department of Defense contracts to provide various aircraft parts to the United States Air Force. These contracts called for parts to be provided in either "new" or "new surplus" condition. Nevertheless, and despite the contract specifications, defendant George Myles, Jr. would purchase the requested parts on the open market, usually in an "as removed" used condition. Thereafter, George Myles, Jr. would send the used parts to the U.S. military, falsely certifying on an ATA 106 Part or Material Certification Form that the requested parts were "new" or "new surplus," when in fact they were used.
Additionally, Myles provided numerous aircraft parts to civilian purchasers, and similarly shipped these parts with either a materially false ATA 106, or included an FAA Form 8130, certifying that the requested parts were airworthy. However, George Myles, Jr. and Miles Aviation, Inc., were not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform any inspections, repairs, or overhauls, and thus could not certify the airworthiness of aircraft parts. At the sentencing, the Court found that George Myles, Jr. had defrauded in excess of fifty victims out of more than $1 million dollars and that his conduct posed a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to the aviation community.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the United States Department of Transportation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the United States Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc Anton.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, Fl. 33132.