Investigations

On October 30, Ngu David Tran, and his company, Transdesign, Inc., Forest Park, Georgia, each plead guilty in U.S. District Court, Atlanta, Georgia, to three counts of illegal transportation of hazardous materials in air commerce. As a result Mr. Tran has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $137,500 to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mr. Tran faces a maximum criminal penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 and his sentencing remains to be scheduled. On August 20, 2008, Mr. Tran’s company Transdesign, Inc. was indicted for shipping chemicals via United Parcel Service and Federal Express on multiple occasions without declaring them as hazardous materials. His activities were discovered when a shipment leaked onboard an aircraft causing the entire aircraft to be unloaded and cleaned. These chemicals were seized by the FAA and turned over to DOT/OIG as evidence.