Robert Charles Brady, 36, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison by United States District Court Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks, after having previously pled guilty to wire fraud, filing false records in a federal investigation and operating an aircraft without an airman’s certificate.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Marlies Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (USDOT OIG), Sunrise Field Office, made the announcement.
“Those who fail to comply with air safety certifications and regulations place the public at risk," stated United States Attorney Benjamin Greenberg. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal partners will continue to work together to prosecute individuals who falsify qualifications, operate without authority and jeopardize our transportation safety."
“The sentence handed down today against Robert Charles Brady for violations related to operating an aircraft without an airman's certificate, wire fraud, and falsification of records in a Federal investigation, demonstrates that ensuring the safety of the Nation’s air transportation system remains a high priority for both the Office of Inspector General and the Department of Transportation," said Marlies Gonzalez, USDOT OIG Regional Special Agent-in-Charge. “Working with the Federal Aviation Administration and our prosecutorial partners, we will continue to prevent and detect violations of Federal laws and regulations designed to ensure public safety."
According to the court record, Brady owned Beach Aviation and managed a flight school in Pompano and Boca Raton, Florida. Through Beach Aviation, Brady and his employees operated an illegal charter air carrier service. They chartered flights to and from Bahamas and other destinations in the United States, without proper certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Through Beach Aviation, Brady also falsely claimed to be a certified flight instructor on student pilot trainees logbooks. Students and the FAA relied upon this falsified information in order to verify flight hours for FAA pilot certifications and ratings. Additionally, Brady falsified records that were presented to the FAA in order to seek a second-in-command rating on a Convair jet, which would allow him to fly as a copilot in a Convair on international flights.
Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the USDOT OIG and FAA. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Behnke.
Related court documents may be found on the website of the District Court for the southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov. or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
