Florida Keys Resident Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying FAA Records

MIAMI -- Cole Peacock, 30, was sentenced today to 37 months’ imprisonment after he forged signatures on official flight records. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated Peacock, a student pilot, after he flew an aircraft on his own -- with no instructor -- from Homestead to Orlando, Florida. The investigation revealed that Peacock had falsified his logbook several times by forging his flight instructor’s signature. Peacock also created counterfeit endorsements that purportedly allowed him to fly solo in Class B airspace when, in fact, he was not qualified or trained to do so.  Nor had Peacock received any such endorsement from his flight instructor.

In addition,  the investigation revealed that Peacock had stolen a 1981 Learjet 55 valued at about $175,000 by submitting a fraudulent and forged Bill of Sale to the FAA. This led the FAA to transfer ownership of the aircraft to Peacock. Peacock placed new registration numbers on the Learjet to conceal the fraud.

Earlier this year, Peacock pled guilty to two counts of Making False Statements and Entries, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1519. 

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Todd Damiani, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General, Southeast Region announcement the sentence imposed in Key West by Senior U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King.  

The case was investigated by the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc S. Anton.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

###