On the same day, the helicopter fell apart and crashed on the Hudson River, and the Federal Ju judge in Los Angeles officially denounced the local helicopter repair company of formalizing its customers at similar risks.
Federal prosecutors say Jared Michael Swensen, 48, of Ventura, has repaired and sold aircraft parts that are nearing the end of its service life but listed as new for more than three years. Prosecutors said the equipment could lead to a fatal helicopter crash.
The accusations stated that helicopter parts installed on a customer’s aircraft would have hundreds of hours, or in fact, if the parts were nearing the end of service restrictions, there would be a whole new time.
Swensen left Oxnard airport to run his business, Light Helicopter Depot. He advertised that he was certified with aircraft and power plant certificates with inspection approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We specialize in bringing old, timed out aircraft back to life,” the company said it is promoting its services on a website that is currently being removed.
But in reality, the prosecutors say Swensen and his company created a maintenance logbook and counterfeit entries on the modified sales order and packaging slip to match the counterfeit entries. The company is also accused of forgering the Federal Aviation Administration release certificate, which is used to indicate that the aircraft is airworthy.
Court records show that Swensen and his company have twice charged clients for his services, including a $13,000 invoice and a $23,700 invoice.
The U.S. Department of Transport Inspector’s Office investigated the incident and was supported by the FAA.
If convicted, Swensen could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and up to 15 years in prison for each count of fraud involving aircraft parts. His business could also be fined up to $10 million for each aircraft component fraud count and up to $1 million for each wire fraud count, according to prosecutors.
Court records show Swensen has not yet received a petition in response to the charges.
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