Faces Lengthy Jail Sentence If Convicted

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second man accused of stealing airplane parts from Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, WI.

James M. Campbell, 48, of Oshkosh, was charged with burglary of a building and theft of movable property valued at more than $10,000 in Winnebago County Circuit Court on Friday, reports the Oshkosh Northwestern.

If convicted, Campbell faces $50,000 in fines and 34 years, six months in prison.

As ANN reported in July, Basler employees notified the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department when they noticed airplane parts missing from several storage barns that were previously so full it was hard to move around inside.

Among the missing items was a pair of landing skids valued at $85,000.

Sheriff’s deputies later discovered a truck and trailer parked at Campbell’s Madison Street residence, with the trailer full of metal pieces that appeared to be airplane parts.  Those items were valued at more than $34,000.

ANN followed the story last week, when former Basler employee Brian Francart, 27, pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor theft in this same incident. He originally faced six counts of burglary and theft charges for aircraft parts valued at more than $100,000.

In exchange for Francart's plea, the other five charges against him were dismissed and he received a very light sentence of one-year’s probation. Francart told police that Campbell had asked him if he wanted to make extra money by getting scrap metal.

Francart also told police they got the metal pieces from a field outside of Oshkosh, and took the scrap metal to a Fond du Lac salvage yard.

Records from the salvage yard show Campbell was paid approximately $26,000 for turning in stainless steel and aluminum aviation parts since May 2007.

FMI: www.baslerturbo.com