On Full Disclosure
A total of 46 California pilots, 14 of them active, have been charged with lying to federal authorities to obtain certificates. In most cases, authorities allege, the pilots, seven of whom held commercial licenses, hid medical conditions that would have disqualified them. “The fraud and falsification allegedly committed by these individuals is extremely serious and adversely affects the public interest in air safety,” the FAA’s Nicholas Sabatini, an associate administrator in charge of flight safety programs, told The New York Times. The charges were laid after a two-year investigation in which Social Security numbers of pilots were cross-referenced with other databases. In some cases, pilots were discovered to be receiving disability benefits for conditions that would disqualify them from flying. The conditions ranged from heart conditions to serious mental illnesses like paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and even severe suicidal tendencies. “To get their certificates, these people had to lie or falsify paperwork,” Charles Lee, a department of transportation spokesman, told the Times. Lying to the feds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. One state down, 49 to go?
