Director Sentenced for £7 Million Aircraft Parts Fraud
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, director of a British company that sold aircraft engine parts valued at £7 million using falsified documents, has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for fraud.
Zamora Yrala operated an aircraft parts company that supplied tens of thousands of components worldwide for widely used aircraft engines, accompanied by forged paperwork.
Judge Highlights Serious Safety Breach
During sentencing, Judge Simon Picken stated that Zamora Yrala's conduct represented a "more or less complete undermining" of the regulations and rules intended to ensure the safety of passenger flights.
Zamora Yrala, aged 38, admitted to fraudulent trading in December following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
Details of the Fraudulent Activity
At Southwark Crown Court, it was revealed that between 2019 and 2023, Zamora Yrala's company, AOG Technics, supplied approximately 60,000 parts for CFM56 engines accompanied by forged documentation.
The CFM56 engine, manufactured by CFM International, is the world's bestselling aircraft engine. It is installed on various models of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, as well as some larger aircraft.
Operating from his home office in Surrey, Zamora Yrala sold parts directly to airlines, maintenance and repair organizations, and other aircraft parts brokers.
Discovery and Impact of the Fraud
The fraudulent scheme was uncovered when an engineer at the Portuguese airline TAP questioned the origin of a part he was unable to fit. The manufacturer later confirmed that the accompanying documentation was counterfeit.
The discovery of the fraud in 2023 resulted in the grounding of aircraft in the UK and globally to allow for engine inspections and the replacement of affected parts where necessary.
Airlines impacted by the fraud included Ryanair, American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal. The SFO estimated the total losses at £39.3 million.
Regulatory Framework and Forged Documentation
The production and sale of aircraft parts are subject to stringent regulations. Authorised Release Certificates (ARCs) serve as proof that critical new or refurbished parts meet airworthiness standards.
However, the ARCs used by Zamora Yrala were falsified, the court heard.
Some certificates were genuine but altered by an accomplice who worked as a technician at an airline, modifying details on his home computer. Others were entirely forged with assistance from a Spanish graphic designer.
Additional Deceptive Practices
Prosecutors detailed that Zamora Yrala also fabricated documents purporting to show the origins of parts supplied by AOG Technics.
He created fictitious employees, with customers receiving emails and documents signed by various invented sales managers and quality managers, to simulate a legitimate business operation, according to the SFO.
In reality, only Zamora Yrala, his then wife, her brother, and the family nanny were on the company payroll, the court was informed.
Scope and Unknown Origins of Parts
The fraud resulted in approximately 60,000 suspect engine parts entering the global aviation supply chain, sold by AOG Technics for nearly £7 million.
The true origin of these parts remains unknown.
"It is almost impossible to identify where parts sold with forged certificates came from," explained Harriet Sassoon, case controller at the SFO.
Additional Penalties and Ongoing Investigations
In addition to his prison sentence, Zamora Yrala was disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years. He is also expected to face proceeds of crime proceedings later this year.
A related investigation by Portuguese authorities is ongoing.
