Man sentenced for selling fake airplane parts for popular engine

The caput of a London hose parts steadfast was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months successful situation Monday aft selling much than 60,000 fake craft motor parts, a fraud that triggered worldwide information concerns and concisely grounded planes.

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, pleaded blameworthy successful December to fraudulent trading, admitting helium falsified paperwork astir the root and information of motor parts sold by his company, AOG Technics, betwixt 2019 and 2023.

Prosecutors said much than 60,000 fishy parts entered the planetary aviation proviso concatenation arsenic a effect of the scheme. Many of the parts were linked to CFM56 engines, wide utilized successful Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The find of the fraudulent components successful 2023 led to planes being temporarily grounded and prompted calls for tighter manufacture oversight.

Judge Simon Picken said Zamora Yrala’s actions amounted to a "more oregon little implicit undermining of a regulatory model designed to safeguard the millions of radical who alert each day."

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, erstwhile manager of AOG Technics Ltd., departs from Westminster Magistrates' Court successful London connected Monday, June 2, 2025. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

According to prosecutors, AOG Technics sold falsified parts totaling astir $9.3 cardinal (£6.9 million) — astir 90% of the company’s gross — causing an estimated $53 cardinal (£39.3 million) successful losses crossed the aviation industry.

Fan blades for CFM56 turbofan craft engines pursuing accumulation astatine the Safran SA craft motor works successful Gennevilliers, France, connected Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

American Airlines unsocial suffered astir $31 cardinal (£23 million) successful losses tied to motor repairs, replacement leasing and craft downtime, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors said CFM International’s co-owners, GE Aerospace and Safran, mislaid astir $4 cardinal (£3 million) and $780,000 (£580,000) respectively, and suffered reputational damage.

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala was astatine the halfway of a planetary probe into bogus airplane parts. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Zamora Yrala was besides barred from serving arsenic a institution manager for 8 years and faces confiscation proceedings aimed astatine compensating affected companies.

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His lawyer told the tribunal helium had "cut corners successful bid that helium could commercialized much easily" and did not afloat grasp the consequences of his actions.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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