HAGATNA, Guam — A former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector pleaded guilty in Guam to three counts of honest services wire fraud, according to court documents.
HAGATNA, Guam — A former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector pleaded guilty in Guam to three counts of honest services wire fraud, according to court documents.
The case against Timothy J. Cislo was unsealed last week after he entered a plea deal, the Pacific Daily News reported .
Cislo is accused of issuing certificates to Hansen Helicopters Inc. without inspecting the helicopters in exchange for an airplane for his personal use.
Cislo was tasked with issuing and reissuing airworthiness certificates, which are official documents that allow aircrafts to operate, from about May 2014 through January 2018. During that time, Cislo and others were part of a scheme in which Cislo received a Taylorcraft BC-12D aircraft, worth $20,000, from Hansen Helicopters, according to the documents.
Cislo was an inspector in Hawaii when he received the aircraft. Cislo kept the airplane for his private use and in exchange, he issued and reissued special airworthiness certificates to Hansen’s without inspecting or examining the helicopters, according to the documents.
A May 2014 email between Cislo and Hansen employee Kenneth Rufus Crowe mentioned the aircraft Cislo received. After the email exchange, $22,500 was transferred from a Bank of Hawaii account to “E.J.S.” to buy the aircraft, according to the documents.
If convicted, he could face 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
