Posted on 08/02/2008 5:18:39 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham
08/01/2008
Ex-Boeing employee is charged in vandalism case
By: Timothy Logue , tlogue@delcotimes.com
A former Boeing Co. aircraft mechanic is facing up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines and restitution for severing a bundle of wires on a Chinook helicopter. Advertisement
Matthew Kevin Montgomery of Trevose was formally charged Thursday with a felony count of willfully damaging property under contract to the federal government.
Montgomery, 33, severed a "two-inch bundle of over 150 electrical wires running between the cockpit and body" of the $23.8 million helicopter, according to a federal charging document. Some of the wires were linked to the Chinook's avionics and flight control systems.
"This case is not about mere vandalism," said Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid. "It involves damage to property that is vital to our military. Any action that delays delivery of material or that endangers the integrity of Army aircraft affects the safety of the men and women who are serving our country, and will not be tolerated."
Montgomery is believed to have cut the wires May 10, his last day on the Chinook assembly line. The damage on the nearly-completed helicopter was discovered two days later as Montgomery was beginning his new job on the V-22 Osprey line.
A former member of United Aerospace Workers Local 1069, Montgomery was making $19 an hour prior to his arrest.
"Fortunately, this senseless act of vandalism was discovered quickly and no physical harm occurred to personnel as a result," said Ed Bradley, special agent-in-charge of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the investigative arm of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense. "However, the potential threat to safety from such acts is serious and therefore such cases must be aggressively investigated and prosecuted."
Montgomery's attorney, public defender Mara Meehan, said she would push for leniency at sentencing if he pleads guilty or is convicted.
"Matthew has no priors, is working full-time right now and I am hoping to argue for a non-custodial sentence," she said.
Her client faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years supervised release, a $100 special assessment and restitution of more than $250,000.
In May, a federal judge ordered Montgomery to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and have no contact with Boeing or its employees.
While she would not speculate on Montgomery's motives, Meehan said the severed wires posed "... no risk of injury because, as I understand it, the helicopter would never (have been) able to take off."
Boeing had to remove, replace, reinstall and retest all the wires and systems relating to that set of wires and closed the plant for its investigation, costing the company more than $100,000.
Bradley said the investigation continues and a reward still stands for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for damaging the transmission of a second Chinook.
Montgomery has denied involvement. "There is no evidence whatsoever that he did anything to another aircraft," Meehan said.
I'd call it treason - putting our soldiers at risk.
The loyer knows the phuque is guilty and is telling us ... he's done.
The only unknown is the penalty.
That too.
Ping.....it was 2 sets of sabotage.
Yep...he’s a saboteur, throw him out the door.
Ed
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