ICE Busts California Flight School in Massive Visa Fraud Scheme
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ICE Busts California Flight School in Massive Visa Fraud Scheme
FOXNews.com
The former owners of a California flight school have pleaded guilty in a massive visa fraud scheme in which they hired illegal immigrants as flight instructors — a scam that immigration officials say posed a "significant" threat to national security.
The former owners of a California flight school have pleaded guilty in a massive visa fraud scheme in which they hired illegal immigrants as flight instructors — a scam that immigration officials say posed a "significant" threat to national security.
Andrew Burr and Christopher Watson, the former president and vice president of Anglo-American Aviation, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor counts of hiring unauthorized workers, part of a larger felony case against their company that was the culmination of a two-year investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE officials found that from 2001-2008, the company hired 11 illegal immigrants as flight instructors.
"The actions by the defendants in this case not only undermined the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system, they also posed a significant national security risk," said Joe Garcia, acting special agent in charge for the ICE Office of Investigations in San Diego.
ICE investigators focused on a four-month period in the summer of 2007, when the school issued visa documents to more than 100 foreign students, even though the Federal Aviation Administration had revoked their certification to train commercial pilots.
The company was abusing an online database developed in the wake of 9/11 to track foreign students, according to ICE officials. Without that FAA certification, the company was forbidden to issue I-20 immigration documents to its students, who used the forms to get visas from the State Department.
ICE investigators successfully tracked down 53 of the students — more than half of those trained in the summer of 2007, according to ICE statements — and said none were found to pose a security risk. They provided no information on those they failed to locate.
At the hearing Thursday, Burr and Watson were sentenced to five years' probation, and along with the flight school must forfeit $250,000 in illegal profits.
Anglo-American Aviation Inc. also pleaded guilty to felony charges for making false statements and creating false visa documents, and will be sentenced on June 21.
The company now operates under a different name — American Aviation Academy — but uses the same mailing address and phone number in San Diego, where two of the 9/11 hijackers received flight training.
The former owners of a California flight school have pleaded guilty in a massive visa fraud scheme in which they hired illegal immigrants as flight instructors — a scam that immigration officials say posed a "significant" threat to national security.
The former owners of a California flight school have pleaded guilty in a massive visa fraud scheme in which they hired illegal immigrants as flight instructors — a scam that immigration officials say posed a "significant" threat to national security.
Andrew Burr and Christopher Watson, the former president and vice president of Anglo-American Aviation, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor counts of hiring unauthorized workers, part of a larger felony case against their company that was the culmination of a two-year investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE officials found that from 2001-2008, the company hired 11 illegal immigrants as flight instructors.
"The actions by the defendants in this case not only undermined the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system, they also posed a significant national security risk," said Joe Garcia, acting special agent in charge for the ICE Office of Investigations in San Diego.
ICE investigators focused on a four-month period in the summer of 2007, when the school issued visa documents to more than 100 foreign students, even though the Federal Aviation Administration had revoked their certification to train commercial pilots.
The company was abusing an online database developed in the wake of 9/11 to track foreign students, according to ICE officials. Without that FAA certification, the company was forbidden to issue I-20 immigration documents to its students, who used the forms to get visas from the State Department.
ICE investigators successfully tracked down 53 of the students — more than half of those trained in the summer of 2007, according to ICE statements — and said none were found to pose a security risk. They provided no information on those they failed to locate.
At the hearing Thursday, Burr and Watson were sentenced to five years' probation, and along with the flight school must forfeit $250,000 in illegal profits.
Anglo-American Aviation Inc. also pleaded guilty to felony charges for making false statements and creating false visa documents, and will be sentenced on June 21.
The company now operates under a different name — American Aviation Academy — but uses the same mailing address and phone number in San Diego, where two of the 9/11 hijackers received flight training.
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said Joe Garcia
each time I go to the USA, DHS speaks mainly spanish and most custom agent have mexican/spanish names!
this is how funny the USA became: a country for illegal mexicans governed by illegal mexicans who got US citizenship illegally!
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Difficult to find solid references or threads here on the site regarding AAA.
That is because they've had the curse of PPRuNe on them for many years and came under our company non grata program.
Regards
Rob
That is because they've had the curse of PPRuNe on them for many years and came under our company non grata program.
Regards
Rob
WOW I can't believe this! I spent a glorious 6 months in 1998 flying with AAA.
I found Andy and Chris to be really decent blokes who ran a good school.
I hope they don't do prison for this - US prisons are no place for these types of chaps.
Good luck fellas!
Cheers, Ben.
I found Andy and Chris to be really decent blokes who ran a good school.
I hope they don't do prison for this - US prisons are no place for these types of chaps.
Good luck fellas!
Cheers, Ben.
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There are plenty of other schools with instructors working illegally. Some have even admitted they worked illegally on this forum at JAA schools.
Would you want to train at school where instructors admit they work illegally? Doesn't say much for the professionalism of those types of school...
This proves the point - if you are doing any kind of training protect yourself and get a visa.
Would you want to train at school where instructors admit they work illegally? Doesn't say much for the professionalism of those types of school...
This proves the point - if you are doing any kind of training protect yourself and get a visa.
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I was far too close to this myself at a school in Ft Pierce, Florida in the late 90's and unfortunately illegality on one score often means illegality in other areas aswell.
Instructors were brought out on B Visas with promises of having them converted only to find after months of "Yes it's progressing very well" that no applications had even been made. At the same school students of British instrcutors were flying solo illegally because they didn't have the required sign-offs from an authorised instructor. At the same school aircraft were often flown beyond their 100 hour check by illegally using the 10 hour extension.
That school no longer exists and who knows, the leopard may have changed its spots however, if you wish to avoid taking any chances the person who oversaw all the above is still involved in flight training on the Florida east coast.
Instructors were brought out on B Visas with promises of having them converted only to find after months of "Yes it's progressing very well" that no applications had even been made. At the same school students of British instrcutors were flying solo illegally because they didn't have the required sign-offs from an authorised instructor. At the same school aircraft were often flown beyond their 100 hour check by illegally using the 10 hour extension.
That school no longer exists and who knows, the leopard may have changed its spots however, if you wish to avoid taking any chances the person who oversaw all the above is still involved in flight training on the Florida east coast.
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There are many more schools like this operating with non immigrants working as Flight instructors which is not allowed on M1 visa. Flight school allows them as they have to pay less to them and the flight instructor do this risky work to build flying hours.
As now Govt. stopped J1 visa which allows legal hour building, more schools doing same act as AAA.
If you name some school of use doing this do name it here so the new students can be beware of them while selecting flying school.
As now Govt. stopped J1 visa which allows legal hour building, more schools doing same act as AAA.
If you name some school of use doing this do name it here so the new students can be beware of them while selecting flying school.
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but to say that there are many Flight Schools operating in this manner is inaccurate.
I would say the industry is rife with flight schools having either instructors working or students studying illegally.
Enforcement is extremely weak.
ICE rarely follow up.
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American Aviation Academy 2011
@
PPRuNe Towers
Dep Chief PPRuNe Pilot
LeafSprung durch Technic
So now that AAA is advertising on Pprune, does that mean that they no longer have the curse of PPRuNe on them and that they no longer are under the company non grata program?
PPRuNe Towers
Dep Chief PPRuNe Pilot
LeafSprung durch Technic
So now that AAA is advertising on Pprune, does that mean that they no longer have the curse of PPRuNe on them and that they no longer are under the company non grata program?
