Home Contra Costa County Bay Area Aviators Indicted For Making False Statements

Bay Area Aviators Indicted For Making False Statements

by ECT

Four Pilots Allegedly Lied About Whether They Were Receiving Benefits From the Department of Veterans Affairs For Medical Conditions

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury indicted four airline pilots for making false statements to the government in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forms, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, Special Agent in Charge James Wahleithner; and Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Regional Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Dubsick.  In each case, the pilots are accused of submitting forms to the FAA that deny the existence of medical conditions for which the pilots were receiving disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The defendants, Gregory James Chrisman, 57, of Burlingame, Calif.; Nicholas King Beyer, 32, of Discovery Bay, Calif.; Adam Roger Asleson, 39, of Peachtree, Ga; and Walker Trent Grant, 36, of Fortuna, Calif., were charged in four separate indictments.  In each indictment, the defendant is charged with making at least one false statement in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), as follows:

DefendantChargesAllegations
Adam Roger AslesonMaking a false statement, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)

(1 count)

Allegedly stated on an FAA Form 8500-8:

 

(i)   that he did not suffer from any mental disorders including depression or anxiety despite having represented to the VA that he suffered from major depressive disorder.

 

(ii)   that he received medical disability benefits for knee strain and tinnitus despite having received service-related medical disability benefits from the VA for a major depressive disorder, and not for the conditions indicated on the Form 8500-8.

 

Walker Trent GrantMaking false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)

(2 counts)

Allegedly stated on an FAA Form 8500-8:

 

(i)   that he did not suffer from and had never been diagnosed with “frequent or severe headaches” despite having represented to the VA that he suffered from tension headaches.

 

(ii)   that he did not receive medical disability benefits, despite having received service-related medical disability benefits from the VA, including benefits related to his tension headaches since 2011.

 

Nicholas King BeyerMaking false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)

(2 counts)

 

18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1) – Falsify, Conceal, or Cover Up by Trick, Scheme, or Device a Material Fact

(2 counts)

 

 

Allegedly stated on an FAA Form 8500-8:

 

(i)   that he did not have and had never had a mental disorder of any sort despite having represented to the VA that he had a major depressive disorder and having received medical disability benefits as a result of that condition.

 

(ii)  he was receiving VA medical disability benefits only because of a knee and back injuries (and not for a major depressive disorder).

Gregory James ChrismanMaking false statements,

in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)

(2 counts)

Allegedly stated on an FAA Form 8500-8:

 

(i)     he did not have and had never had a mental disorder of any sort despite having represented to the VA that he had posttraumatic stress disorder and having received medical disability benefits as a result of that condition.

 

(ii)   that he was not receiving and has never received medical disability benefits despite having received service-related medical disability benefits from the VA since 2011.

 

Each defendant was arraigned and released on a $10,000 bond, and each was required to surrender his passport.  Asleson will make his next appearance on October 3, 2018, before the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge.  Grant will make his next appearance on September 19, 2018, before the Honorable Edward Chen, U.S. District Judge.  Beyer will make his next appearance before Judge Breyer on October 3, 2018.  Chrisman will make his next appearance on September 25, 2018, before the Honorable Vince Chhabria, United States District Judge.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) and each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1).  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sailaja M. Paidipaty and Nicholas J. Walsh are prosecuting the four cases with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecutions are the result of an investigation by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/bay-area-aviators-indicted-making-false-statements

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6 comments

That guy Aug 30, 2018 - 9:29 am

Oh big brother….

Jerry Sep 1, 2018 - 1:52 pm

How about those who are complaining of ingrown toenails or the inability to reach back and scratch their backside because of sore shoulders? Why are they getting financial help for a “disability?” How about the guy who said he needed funds to help him with his constipation problem because he did not like to eat prunes or drink a lot of water? Why aren’t those people “OUTED?”

Captain Sep 1, 2018 - 4:16 pm

Bunch of loser soldiers wanting more free money, get a job pos ohh let me guess they are “tramatized”

Nikki Sep 2, 2018 - 4:09 am

Jerry you missed the point, I think. It’s not that they’re disabled or not disabled that’s being looked at. It’s that they LIED about either the disability itself or the fact that they received payment. Being disabled is no joke. Apparently they thought it was.

Nick Sep 2, 2018 - 9:32 am

People lie all the time to receive benefits, and the VA knows it, I’d like to see all of them get busted, pay restitution and go to jail where they belong.

Incognito Sep 3, 2018 - 12:05 am

The bottom line is that you have to remember what you put down on what application. You should always keep a copy of it for your own reference. Although, if I had chronic blinding headaches, knee pain, back pain and tinnitus, I would be permanently depressed.

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