A former techno DJ who masterminded a £40m global fraud by selling fake aircraft parts from his garage in Surrey has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, pleaded guilty to fraud at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.
Zamora Yrala's company, AOG Technics, sold over 60,000 components, including seals, bolts and washers, to airlines and suppliers worldwide between 2019 and July 2023. The parts were sold with forged certificates guaranteeing their airworthiness, and many were intended for CFM56 engines used in popular Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation revealed that Zamora Yrala used his home computer to falsify certificates and delivery records, and even invented fake employees to sign documents. The fraud was uncovered in August 2023 when an airline contacted a manufacturer to verify a part's authenticity.
Aviation regulators in the UK, US and EU issued safety alerts, leading to planes being grounded. Affected airlines include American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta and Ryanair. Ethiopian Airlines directly purchased over £1.1m worth of parts, while American Airlines incurred losses exceeding £21m after 28 of its engines were affected. Ryanair found fake parts in two planes supplied through third parties.
Zamora Yrala, originally from Venezuela, had worked in aviation since 2011 and set up AOG in 2015. SFO director of operations Emma Luxton said: 'Zamora’s operation risked public safety on a global scale in a way that defies belief.'
