Suspiciously Low Price Led Buyer To Check Serial Numbers

A mechanic employed by the Cessna Aircraft Company has been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar, stealing aircraft parts and selling them on eBay.

The Wichita Eagle reports Diego Alejandro Paz Teran, 31, was charged in federal court with the sale of stolen property. Conviction on the charges carries a top penalty of 10 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 fine.

Investigators were drawn to the case last November when an employee of a Rockwell Collins distributor, checking for bargains on eBay, noticed an expensive piece of avionics being sold for too low a price.

A $45,000 Collins AHC-3000 Attitude Reference Computer listed for only $9,000 caught the eye of the Collins employee - who, being familiar with the unit, asked the seller for serial numbers. Tracing the parts to an aircraft being painted, investigators determined other parts listed online by the seller were also stolen.

Cessna officials could not comment specifically on a case in progress, but suggested nothing is necessarily amiss when aircraft parts are sold online. "There's a lot of people out selling parts legally on the Internet," company spokesman Doug Oliver said.

US Justice Department spokesman Jim Cross said the scam was a new one on him. In five years of working for the department, Cross said it was the first time he'd heard of a Wichita aircraft manufacturer employee stealing and reselling parts.

FMI: www.cessna.com, www.usdoj.gov