WILLIAMSPORT — A Selinsgrove man faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines after admitting in federal court Wednesday that he committed fraud at his Elysburg aircraft repair business and stole a plane from a Florida airport and sold it for $60,000.
Brian D. Snyder, 26, pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Williamsport following a monthslong investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Snyder operated Smooth Landings and Always Airborne, an aircraft repair business, at Northumberland County Airport in Elysburg for several years. He rented space from the county to run his businesses.
On Wednesday, he confessed that between November 2002 and January 2008 he forged the names of licensed mechanics — including FAA mechanics — to make it appear as though they had inspected planes, lied about dates in his inspection log and falsified entries to cover up the fact that he was stealing parts from planes and installing them on other aircraft, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Snyder was not licensed to perform inspections by the FAA until April 2005 and had his license revoked in October 2006.
The federal prosecutor said 277 entries were falsified, involving 66 separate aircraft.
Snyder admitted to stealing a Piper PA-32 single-engine airplane that he agreed to buy for $55,000, but the deal was called off when his $35,000 down payment check bounced, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler said.
The plane was stolen in Fort Lauderdale May 18, 2007, although the owner did not discover the theft until August, Brandler said.
U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson said Snyder’s misdeeds were considered federal crimes because they violated FAA regulations.
“Everyone who flies in a plane has a right to know that the aircraft has been properly maintained,” Carlson said. Snyder’s fraudulent actions “deny people of the information they have a right to have.”
Snyder will remain free until his sentencing in July.
Carlson said the magnitude of the sentence will be determined by the guidelines set forth in the pre-sentencing report.
Snyder will be required to pay restitution as part of his sentencing, the attorney said.
Earlier this year, Senior Judge James F. McClure Jr. issued a temporary injunction sought by the government to prevent Snyder from working on airplanes.
The government alleged when it filed for the injunction that Snyder was continuing to work on planes and that could jeopardize the lives and property of aircraft owners and operators.
The FAA is in the process of notifying the owners of aircraft inspected or repaired by Snyder that their planes may not be safe. Anyone who had work done by Snyder and has not been contacted is asked to call FAA inspector James Pool at (717) 774-8271 Ext. 231, or FAA inspector Richard Thomas at Ext. 230.
n E-mail comments to rscott@dailyitem.com.
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