Summary

Aviation Safety Technologies, Inc. (ASTI), of Sarasota, FL, a firm that designs and installs aviation safety systems, was fined $5,000 by a U.S. District Court judge in Tampa, FL, after pleading guilty to illegally using an FAA seal. While negotiating a contract with a Korean firm in 1996, ASTI representatives electronically scanned FAA letterhead containing a seal. The fraudulent document attested to ASTI’s experience and qualifications and bore the signature of an FAA official who had not signed the document or authorized use of his signature. OIG investigated this case with FAA’s assistance.