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Summary

On September 29, 2011, a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, indicted Jerry Kuwata, Michael Maupin, Scott Durham, Christopher MacQueen, Douglas Johnson, and Anthony Zito on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce and mail fraud. The defendants are former executives and supervisors at WECO Aerospace Systems Inc., (WECO) an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified air repair station based in Lincoln, which was purchased in 2007 by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. WECO was required to use FAA approved parts and procedures in the repair and overhaul of aircraft parts. 

The defendants are charged with directing WECO technicians to use unapproved parts in repairs and overhauls.  In addition, the defendants are alleged to have regularly failed to follow the proper, approved procedures in the repair of aircraft parts. Furthermore, it is alleged the defendants did not even have the equipment needed to perform many of the tests required by the approved procedures. According to the indictment, the defendants nonetheless performed repairs or directed WECO technicians to perform repairs of parts and returned those parts to customers, falsely certifying for each one that the part had been repaired in accordance with FAA regulations. 

This investigation was worked jointly with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. 

Note:  Indictments, Informations, and Criminal Complaints are only accusations by the Government.  All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.