A London-based former techno DJ, Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for orchestrating a massive fraud involving fake airplane parts. Between 2019 and 2023, Zamora Yrala’s company, AOG Technics, sold over 60,000 counterfeit components, primarily for CFM56 engines used in Airbus and Boeing aircraft. This fraud raised significant safety concerns and led to the temporary grounding of planes worldwide.
Zamora Yrala, 38, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and admitted to falsifying paperwork about the origin and condition of the parts. According to the prosecutors, his actions resulted in approximately $53 million in losses for the aviation industry. American Airlines alone suffered about $31 million in losses due to engine repairs and aircraft downtime.
The fraudulent scheme was uncovered in 2023 when a bolt supplied by AOG Technics failed to fit an engine, prompting a review of the documentation. This led to the issuance of safety alerts by aviation agencies in the UK, US, and EU. Emma Luxton, director of operations at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), said Zamora Yrala “risked public safety in a way that defies belief.”
Zamora Yrala was also disqualified from serving as a company director for eight years and faces confiscation proceedings to compensate affected companies. His attorney stated that Zamora Yrala “cut corners” and did not fully understand the consequences of his actions.
The fraud involved Zamora Yrala using his home computer to forge documents and create fake employees to deceive customers. The SFO highlighted the global scale of the operation, which affected airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, Delta, and Ryanair.
Recent Comments