Another aviation safety issue in Miami- this time it's bribery

A former Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) safety inspector was sentenced to 75 months in prison after a jury convicted him of twenty-one criminal counts related to his participation in a bribery and fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami, Florida announced yesterday.

Over a three-year period Manuel R. Fernandez, 42, of Miami,served as a FAA Aviation Safety Inspector with the FAA South Florida Flight Standards District Office (“FSDO”). Patricia Suarez and Rolando Suarez were the co-owners, officers, and directors of AVCOM, a Miami aviation repair company, which was subject to the jurisdiction and official responsibility of the FAA South Florida FSDO.  

The evidence showed that, at the same time he was working for the FAA, Fernandez also held various positions at AVCOM, including Vice President of Operations.

Miami, Florida - In exchange for Patricia Suarez and Rolando Suarez corruptly providing over $150,000 in cash, as well as jewelry, a cruise, clothing, and approximately $15,000 funneled to Fernandez’s mother, Fernandez violated his lawful and official duties as an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector.  

Fernandez provided AVCOM with advanced notice and warnings as to pending FAA inspections of AVCOM, disclosed financial information about AVCOM’s competitors, and provided AVCOM with improperly obtained aviation repair manuals produced by original equipment manufacturers such as Honeywell and Delta, saving AVCOM from paying vast sums of money for this proprietary information.  

The evidence further showed that Fernandez provided materially false statements to the FAA and DOT in order to hide his participation in these AVCOM-related activities. Additionally, Fernandez submitted a fraudulent sick leave request to the FAA, utilizing a forged doctor’s note.

Read the rest here.

This conviction comes on the heels of County Examiners coverage here, here and here of the former American Airlines mechanic in Miami charged in Federal court with sabotage of an airline. 

A jury trial date is set for Abdul Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani on December 9, 2019. The case is 1:19-cr-20603 in United States District Court, Southern District of Florida.

Controversy emerging over Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani's proficiency with English

A controversy is emerging about the English proficiency of the American Airlines mechanic charged in federal court Friday with willfully damaging or disabling a plane. 

Court documents reviewed by County Examiner and a report by the Associated Press reveal Chief Magistrate Judge John J. O'Sullivan allowed Alani to speak in court through an Arabic interpreter, however in the same AP news account, according to American Airlines, Alani is proficient in English and became a U.S. citizen in 1992.

Miami (AP) (emphasis mine)

"Alani, who was born in Iraq and became a U.S. citizen in 1992,  

In Miami on Friday, Alani wore shackles and tan jail clothes as he spoke to Magistrate Judge John O’Sullivan through an Arabic interpreter. Mostly, he answered basic questions about his assets and whether he could afford a lawyer. The judge appointed a public defender and scheduled a bond hearing for next Wednesday and an arraignment hearing on Sept. 20.

According to American, Alani is proficient in English."

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the requirements a US Citizen must meet to obtain a mechanics certificate include the ability to read, write, speak and understand English:

Here's a copy of the minute order on file with the Southern District of Florida reflecting the 
use of an Arabic interpreter at Friday's hearing:

Let me be clear. This blog post should in no way be interpreted as an assertion of wrong doing on anyone's part. The issue of Alani's English language proficiency is a serious and significant question involving airport, aircraft security which must be asked and answered.