Feds nail two for fraud

OKLAHOMA CITY — Two Moore men have been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for crimes relating to false aircraft engine log books and filing false tax returns, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s office said this week.

John C. Richter, United States Attorney for Oklahoma’s Western District said Moore residents Larry Gene Good, 59, and Allen D. Good, 37, were sentenced in federal court for crimes relating to false aircraft engine logbooks and filing false tax returns.

A third man, Robert Evan Parker, 44, of Oklahoma City, was also sentenced in the case.

Richter said Allen Good was sentenced to 51 months in prison for making false entries in aircraft engine logbooks and ordered to pay $363,633 in restitution. Good also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to forfeit to the United States $176,243. 

He has been incarcerated since May of this year.

“Through their involvement in the sale of unsafe aircraft engines with false logbooks, these defendants created a substantial danger to the purchasers and the public,” Richter said. “We will not hesitate to prosecute those who create this sort of danger.”

On September 28, co-defendants Robert Evan Parker and Larry Gene Good received also received federal prison sentences.

Larry Gene Good received was sentenced to fourteen months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $306,990, while Parker was sentenced to 72 months in prison for the aircraft-engine and tax charges.

 Larry Good was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release after his release from prison and Parker was ordered to pay restitution to 19 victims totaling $378,633.

In addition to the 72 months of incarceration and restitution, Parker was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to forfeit to the United States $176,243. 

In December of 2006, a jury convicted Parker of conspiracy, making false aircraft engine logbook entries and mail fraud. The evidence at trial established that Parker worked with Larry Good’s son, Allen Good, who overhauled and sold aircraft engines that were not safe and that were accompanied by engine logbooks that misrepresented the work performed on the engines.

The Goods did business as Good Aviation in Washington, Okla.  Most of the engines fell within the “experimental” category, Ritcher said.

Ritcher said Parker sold the engines and false logbooks to individuals across the country who responded to classified advertisements he placed in an aviation publication.

According to trial testimony, Parker provided some of the parts for the engines and caused misleading engine data plates to be attached to some of the engines.

Those engines, the jury was told, contained used parts that according to the logbooks should have been new, as well as parts stamped “not airworthy.”

Purchasers and their aircraft engine mechanics from various states testified that the engines were not safe for use in flight. Several purchasers attempted to fly with the engines and were forced to land immediately because of engine problems.

In addition to the convictions at trial relating to aircraft engine logbooks, Parker pleaded guilty Friday to filing a false personal federal income tax return for the 2002 calendar year.

Parker admitted that when he signed his tax return, he knew he was reporting substantially less in gross business receipts than he actually received. His 72-month sentence was based on both the conviction at trial and the plea to the tax crime.

Just before the December 2006 trial, Larry Good pled guilty to misprision of a felony, or failure to report knowledge of a felony, based on his failure to report his son making false logbook entries. Good’s son signed many of the logbooks, and virtually all of the logbooks bore the number of Larry Good’s aircraft and powerplant certificate. This certificate — issued by the Federal Aviation Administration — indicates to the public that the holder can perform quality work on aircraft and therefore played an important part in the crimes committed by Parker.

These sentences are part of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service.  The Oklahoma City Flight Standards District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration also provided assistance in the investigation.