Technician Charged with Selling Stolen Aircraft Parts

An aircraft maintenance technician who worked for Cessna Aircraft has been charged with one count of selling stolen aircraft parts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Kansas District. Diego Alejandro Paz Teran allegedly tried to sell stolen aircraft parts on eBay from August 2008 to Jan. 30, 2009. In November 2008, an employee at a Rockwell Collins distributor noticed a Collins AHC-3000 attitude heading computer listed on eBay for $9,000, a fraction of the unit’s $45,000-plus value. The Rockwell Collins employee asked the seller for the serial number of the AHC-3000 and, according to the DOJ, Cessna tracked that serial number to a Citation XLS that was in for a paint job. Teran had more stolen aircraft parts for sale on eBay, and investigators used the Web site’s records to find Teran at his Wichita home. “If convicted,” the DOJ said, “Teran faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,0000.”