Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Jeffery Michael Patterson, age 41, of Townville, South Carolina, was sentenced in Federal Court to three years’ probation for violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.  The sentence was handed down by District Judge Timothy M. Cain.

The facts of the case are as follows.   Patterson was employed at a local FAA approved airplane repair and service facility.  During the course of a routine evaluation of employees Patterson represented that he had FAA certifications to do certain work on airplanes. The repair facility tried to verify this information through the FAA and were advised that Patterson held none of the certifications that he claimed to have.  The matter was then referred to the Inspector General (I/G) of the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) for investigation.  I/G Special Agents interviewed Patterson and he made false statements to them to include the false statement that he had the FAA certifications but that they were under other names because his name had been changed numerous times by the Treasury department to protect his family from drug dealers who had been investigated by his father while working as a drug enforcement officer.  At the guilty plea hearing, as well as at the sentencing hearing, Patterson admitted that this story was completely made up and bogus.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David C. Stephens of the Greenville Office.  United States Attorney Lydon commended Stephens, the FAA and the DOT I/G for their vigorous investigation and prosecution of the case.  She stated that, “Insuring the safety of our aircraft of all types, including commercial and military, is of great importance and one way this is accomplished is to be sure that persons working on or certifying same as airworthy, are qualified to do so.” 

 

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