He Has Been Charged With Flying The Airplane With No License Or Registration

An Englewood, CO resident had a bad day on February 28. That was the day Michael Lewis was arrested, and had his airplane seized by local authorities in Cody, WY, along with about a quarter million dollars in cash.

Lewis and his passenger Gilbert Wiles Jr. had been traveling west with no flight plan filed, and landed in Lewis' Cessna in Cody due to worsening weather. But the pair reportedly was "acting suspiciously" as the airplane taxied to the ramp at Yellowstone Regional Airport (KCOD), and that activity was reported to TSA by employees of Choice Aviation, according to a report in the Cody Enterprise. Lewis did not announce his taxi intentions on the Unicom frequency, and the airplane's windows were shaded as they taxied to the ramp. The pair put up shades in the front window after the Cessna was placed in a Choice Aviation hangar, according to the report.

Choice employees called the AOPA tip line. Local authorities went to the airport that evening, and determined that the airplane was not stolen.

When the authorities found Lewis at a local restaurant the next morning, he refused to speak without an attorney present. Wiles was found in his hotel room, and also declined to be interviewed. But a search of the room turned up two laptops, 15 cell phones, three Idaho drivers' licenses with different names ... and a duffle bag with $258,520 in cash. An additional $1,467 was found in a jacket pocket.

That led Cody police to get a search warrant for the plane, where they say they “seized documents indicative to possible drug trafficking.” It was also discovered that Lewis held no pilot certificate, and the plane was not currently registered.

Wiles was not charged. Lewis was released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled for a pre-trial conference May 5. But the airplane and the cash stayed with Homeland Security in Cody.

FMI: www.dhs.gov