Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael S. Clemens, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Barbara Bennet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, announced today that defendant, Jose Francisco Guasch, pleaded guilty on October 14, 2004, to one (1) count of transporting a stolen aircraft in foreign commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2312 and 2. Guasch faces a maximum statutory sentence of ten (10) years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. Gausch is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2004, by the United States District Court Judge William J. Zloch, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

According to statements made in court, on December 15, 1997, Guasch, without the owner’s consent, piloted a 1975 Gates Lear Jet 35 from the Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport and transported the aircraft to Nicaragua where he used the plane for charter services. The government estimated the aircraft’s value at the time of the incident to be approximately $2.3 million.

Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lynn Kirkpatrick and Melanie Allen.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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