us plane parts fraud 110909
On the homepage
Vikings
Out There
Pardon Board
Petters
LA man gets prison for fraud, repackaged cheaper parts for use in plane manufacturing
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
Minnesota business by the numbers
See Minnesota's top earning companies, CEOs and non-profits
More from Business
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles businessman has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for selling uncertified aircraft manufacturing parts that were used to make Boeing 737 airplanes.
Prosecutors say 74-year-old Duane Lepire was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty in April to fraud for selling commercial-grade rubber gaskets that were not approved for aviation manufacturing.
The U.S. attorney's office says Lepire, the owner of Chatsworth Rubber and Gasket Company in Canoga Park, falsely claimed the parts were certified for use in aircraft manufacturing.
Lepire painted and repackaged the cheaper parts with bogus "certificates of conformance."
The nonconforming O-rings were used to make vibration dampeners that leaked hydraulic fluid, which was a safety hazard but didn't cause any accidents.
Recent Business stories
Virginia governor meets with state revenue panel to hear fiscal projections - November 9, 2009
Virginia governor meets with state revenue panel to hear fiscal projections - Virginia's fiscal picture remained dim, as a panel of state legislators and business leaders got another look at prospects for the state's upcoming budget. More
Blog: Patent Pending
Lights out at U energy conference. Irony police notified.
Just as Lawrence Kazmerski, a top official at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was about to give the keynote address at the University of Minnesota's annual E3 conference at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, the lights went out, bathing the audience in darkness and a deep sense of irony.
Comment on this story | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments