Summary

On August 8, 2014, Rita Hedlund, former Special Agent, Office of Security and Hazardous Materials, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Chicago, Illinois, to false statements relating to a scheme in which she provided false and misleading information to the FAA. Hedlund was previously charged on July 22, 2014.

From approximately January 2009 through October 2011, Hedlund falsely represented to the FAA that she conducted inspections of certain hazardous material shippers, air carriers, and freight forwarders, when in fact; she did not. It was alleged that she entered false information into the FAA's Hazmat database indicating she conducted the inspections, including false entities inspected and  dates on which those inspections purportedly occurred. Further, she entered false information relating to meetings with companies she claimed to have inspected.