Former DJ Imprisoned in London For Global Aircraft Parts Fraud Scheme. London, UK - The ex-techie was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty to taking part in a grand scheme that involved an aircraft engine parts and airworthiness document fraud against the aviation industry. Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, was convicted at the Southwark Crown Court after prosecutors discovered that he ran the scheme out of his Virginia Water, Surrey under the brand AOG Technics.
Scope of the Fraud. Zamora sold over 60,000 aircraft engine parts and forged Authorised Release Certificates (ARCs), documents that are important for verifying the authenticity of parts, investigators said. Most of the fake parts were designed for CFM56 engines, the engines used to power large swaths of Airbus and Boeing commercial jets. AOG Technics sold the fake parts throughout the world between 2019 and July 2023, costing leading airlines and aviation suppliers a fortune of tens of millions of pounds and triggered UK, US and EU safety alerts to regulators.
Effects on Airlines and the Safety Position of Airlines. The scheme has cost airlines over £39.3 million (~₹420 crore), comprised of the cost of inspection, grounding and part replacement. Planes were temporarily grounded in August 2023 due to safety alarms issued globally by aviation officials about the suspect parts. The affected airlines were American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta and Ryanair and others that had received or had the bogus components fitted on their aircraft.
How the Scheme Operated. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) showed Zamora used his personal computer to create fake certificates and false paperwork to make the parts appear legal. He invented nonexistent employees and fake people to dispense fake emails and paperwork to customers. Most of the parts were falsified paperwork to make it look like it was coming from the manufacturer (for example, Safran) but there in reality were no sales records.
Sentence and Legal Repercussions. The judge found Zamora’s actions were “seriously corroding aviation safety systems.” He was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail, barred from being a company director for eight years, and the officials said they would pursue legal measures including asset forfeiture in “proceeds of crime” cases.
Industry Reaction. By providing an insight into shortcomings in the aviation supply chain and paper-based certification systems, it should be mentioned that these are also at risk for exploitation. Aviation regulators and professionals are advocating enhanced digital tracking and authentication structures, aimed at stopping fraud of this sort.
