A Ventura County resident and his company are facing significant legal challenges following their arrest on charges outlined in a federal grand jury indictment. Jared Michael Swensen, 48, of Ventura, and his Oxnard-based company J&J Enterprises LLLP, operating under the name "Light Helicopter Depot," have been charged with defrauding customers concerning helicopter parts.
Swensen and his company stand accused of misleading clients by falsely representing the service hours of helicopter parts. The indictment, returned by a grand jury on April 10, alleges that the company overhauled and maintained helicopters using parts that had exceeded or were near their service limit, rather than parts with fewer service hours as claimed.
"Both Swensen and his company are charged with two counts of wire fraud and eight counts of fraud involving aircraft parts," the indictment specifies.
The investigation suggests that Swensen and his company installed older, non-overhauled parts in helicopters, replacing components such as main rotor blades and spindles with ones nearer to their service life limit than stated. The indictment also claims that falsified entries were made in maintenance logs, altered sales documentation, and tampered FAA release certificates to extend the perceived life of helicopter components.
Further allegations highlight fraudulent invoices and payments received by the company in early 2023. These fall under a series of deceptive actions involving false documentation related to helicopter parts from April 2020 through August 2023.
These allegations, if proven true in court, could have severe consequences for Swensen, who faces potentially lengthy prison sentences for his actions. Specifically, "if convicted, Swensen would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and up to 15 years in federal prison for each count of fraud involving aircraft parts," while the company could incur fines reaching up to $10 million per fraud count.
The United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation with additional support from the FAA. Prosecutors Dennis Mitchell and Danbee Kim from the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section are responsible for handling the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation and does not imply guilt; the accused are considered innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. Swensen is expected to appear in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles for his arraignment.