Fraudster Locked Up for Nearly Five Years
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, the director of UK-based aircraft parts trader AOG Technics, has been handed a 4 year 8 month prison sentence. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) revealed he masterminded a £39.3 million fraud that risked passenger safety and wreaked havoc across the aviation world.
Fake Aircraft Parts and Forged Safety Certificates
The SFO’s probe uncovered Zamora ran his scam from a Surrey home office between January 2019 and July 2023. AOG Technics sold over 60,000 dodgy aircraft engine parts worth nearly £7 million, all accompanied by forged Authorised Release Certificates (ARCs) — crucial papers that guarantee parts are safe to fly.
- Most fakes targeted the CFM56 engine, the globe’s most common commercial jet engine.
- AOG pulled in over £7.7 million in revenue — 90% from fraudulent sales — in just four years.
Web of Lies and Fake Employees
Zamora doctored genuine ARCs using his home computer and cooked up fake shipment memos pretending AOG bought parts from top manufacturers like Safran. Plus, he created bogus staff, fooling customers with emails and signed docs from fake sales and quality managers, all to build a false front of credibility.
Scam Exposed, Airlines Grounded
The fraud unravelled in 2023 after an airline double-checked an AOG part with Safran, who flagged the certificate as a fake. This triggered safety warnings from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the US Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Planes worldwide were grounded, costing airlines like American Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines, along with manufacturers, a whopping £39.3 million in losses.
Justice Served
Zamora pled guilty to fraudulent trading in December 2025, bringing the case to a swift close just over two years after the investigation was launched.
