Summary

On August 28, Luis D. Ruiz, former hazardous materials handler at Bombardier Aerospace (Bombardier), Des Plaines, Illinois, pled guilty in U.S. District Court, Peoria, Illinois, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Mr. Ruiz was previously indicted on charges of conspiracy and mail fraud for a scheme to steal an estimated $1.3 million worth of aerospace parts from Bombardier between October 2006 and November 2008. Bombardier operates a warehouse logistics facility in Des Plaines, Illinois, which stores spare parts. According to the indictment, Mr. Ruiz sold stolen commercial aviation parts, including altimeters and microphones, on eBay, an Internet auction site. During the investigation, our special agents and U.S. postal inspectors executed Federal search warrants at Mr. Ruiz’s two residences in the Chicago, Illinois, area and numerous stolen Bombardier parts were recovered. Mr. Ruiz is expected to be sentenced on December 3, 2009.