Bogus Jet-Engine Parts Supplier Aero Engines May Have Faked Employee Identities

A company that claimed to supply jet-engine parts to major aerospace manufacturers may have also faked its own employees, according to a recent investigation. The company, called Aero Engines LLC, was exposed as a fraud by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in August 2021, after it was found to have sold counterfeit and defective parts to the U.S. Air Force and other customers.

The DOJ said that Aero Engines LLC had used fake certificates, invoices and labels to deceive its customers into believing that its parts were genuine and met the required standards. The DOJ also said that the company had endangered the lives of pilots and passengers by selling parts that could cause engine failures or fires.

Now, a new report by The Wall Street Journal has revealed that Aero Engines LLC may have also fabricated its own employees, using stock photos and fake names on LinkedIn and other websites. The report said that the company had created at least 12 LinkedIn profiles for its supposed staff, but none of them had any verifiable work history or education. The report also said that some of the photos used for the profiles were taken from stock photo websites or other sources.

The report said that the company’s website, which has been taken down, listed a phone number that was disconnected and an address that belonged to a virtual office provider. The report also said that the company’s owner, who was identified as David Romero by the DOJ, had used several aliases and had a criminal record for fraud and identity theft.

The DOJ said that it had arrested Romero and two other individuals in connection with the case, and that they faced charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. The DOJ also said that it had seized more than $1.9 million in assets from the defendants.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, msn.com, U.S. Department of Justice