Posted on 05/20/2008 11:01:36 AM PDT by jazusamo
A Boeing Co. assembly line worker from Trevose was arrested today on charges of hacking wires on a $30 million Chinook helicopter being assembled at a Ridley Township plant last week. U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan announced the arrest today, about a week after damage was discovered on two of the new model Chinook CH-47F helicopters. The dual-rotor aircraft were still on the assembly line, and no damage was found to other models in production or already deployed.
Meehan's office identified the arrested man as Matthew K. Montgomery, 32, an employee for 18 months at the Boeing plant. Montgomery admitted that he damaged one of the aircraft he was working on, Meehan said. He was arrested yesterday while being interviewed by Defense Department investigators.
Meehan said the investigation into vandalism of the second Chinook continues. He said the focus of the investigation is that one or more Boeing employees were involved.
Boeing inspectors last Monday had discovered the hacked wires in one Chinook aircraft and a misplaced washer in another while they were on the assembly line. They quickly concluded that the damage was intentional and began an investigation.
Meehan said he would not speculate on a motive in the Montgomery case. According to an affidavit, Montgomery was told on Saturday, May 10 - two days before the damage was discovered - that he was being transferred to another assembly line at Boeing.
There may have been "some sense of lack of appreciation for the job he may have been doing," Meehan told reporters at a news conference.
Montgomery's specific role on the assembly line was unclear. Meehan said Montgomery, at some point, had requested the transfer to the assembly line for the V-22 Osprey, a different aircraft.
Meehan said the federal vandalism charge carries a fine of as much as $1,000 and as long as 10 years in prison. Montgomery was scheduled to appear before a federal judge today. Meehan said his office had not yet determined whether it would seek to keep Montgomery incarcerated.
The damage on the Chinooks - a key military workhorse and major product at Boeing - had rocked many workers at the plant, which employs about 5,200.
Officials from Meehan's office, Boeing and the U.S. Defense Department had offered a $5,000 reward at the plant last week for any information.
Meehan declined to say whether information from other workers, or routine investigations, led them to Montgomery. He did commend the public, Boeing employees and management for what he said was considerable cooperation in the investigation, and asked for continued help into the second case.
Good point...Maybe some of them will get to him before he’s sent up.
V-22 /= F-22. There is no VF-22.
TC
:-) Maybe he’s going to get some warmer weather but not on an assembly line.
I’m assuming he’s a union member?
Yes and it isn’t a minor crime. If this turkey is convicted he should be made a harsh example of for all to see.
No flames, Merlin - they are producing fully-stuffed fuselages in Philly, then ship for final assembly.
Those Chinooks are pretty widely used. They may not be intended for the US Army. Could be a foreign customer. May offer another possible motive.
There may have been “some sense of lack of appreciation for the job he may have been doing,”......
Captain Obvious alert!....
Took a lot of time and money to fix. And it always boiled down to a union issue on why it happened...
I used to work in a GE shop that had an electric motor repair shop next door. It took a lot of work and time to strip down a big electric motor and rewind it from the frame up. When they were finished they had to be trucked from our Kansas City shop to a GE shop in St. Louis for testing - we didn't have a high current 4,160 volt source to run the motors. More than once those motors blew up in St. Louis because one of our local GE union goons pounded a nail into the windings before the motor was sealed up.
Several weeks of work by several people on each of two shifts was completely wasted, as well as thousands of dollars worth of motor coils, just to intimidate the shop managers and keep them in line.
I saw other thoroughly despicable union behavior in that shop while passing through on my errands. Thankfully, our shop next door wasn't a union shop so we didn't experience any of that knuckle dragger mentality.
Good, good, good.... I’m really worried about this.
Ping.
roger that...looking for the other...
I know Boeing and former Boeing employees - one is a close friend. Boeing pays pretty well and treats its people professionally.
And don’t forget CSAR-X as a remote possibility - corporate sabotage, embarrass Boeing, etc.
Awesome video:
The same kind of terrorists who support Obama did this:
http://www.frugalsites.net/911/attack/
Never apologize for them.
Never appease them.
Never forget.
Something isnt right...the released him on OR?
They didnt sieze his PC to see what’s on it??
WTF?
The prtess is allready in full spin mode...painting him as a disgruntled worker...when in fact we dont even know that yet...and that still doesnt explain the washer in the coaxial transmission...
I smell a rat...
I smell a KOS kid that lives at home unmarried at age 32...
BUMP!
Give him the 10 yrs and I'll pay his fine.
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