Summary

On October 23, 2012, Jonathon Vondracek, a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Tampa, Florida, for falsifying his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical application. He was sentenced to five years of probation, 90 days of home detention and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.  He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, $51,237 in restitution to the VA and a $100 court assessment. 

The investigation revealed that the Veteran's Administration (VA) awarded Mr. Vondracek, a Navy veteran, 80 percent medical disability benefits for a series of service related medical conditions that included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Mr. Vondracek failed to disclose these medical conditions and his receipt of disability benefits on three FAA airman medical certificate applications.  The investigation further determined that Mr. Vondracek did not actually suffer from COPD.  As a result of these findings, Mr. Vondracek's airman and medical certificates issued by the FAA were revoked. 

This investigation was worked jointly with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General.