A Venezuelan techno artist who ran a fraudulent aircraft parts business from his home in the UK has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after orchestrating a scheme that sold tens of thousands of counterfeit-certified engine components to airlines around the world, according to the Serious Fraud Office.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, who DJs under the alias Santa Militia, was the director of AOG Technics, a London-registered company that prosecutors described as little more than a one-man operation. Between January 2019 and July 2023, the company sold more than 60,000 aircraft engine parts to American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and others, accompanied by falsified airworthiness certificates.
The parts were primarily intended for use in the CFM56 engine, the most widely used commercial jet engine in the world, powering aircraft operated by carriers across Europe, the Americas and Africa. The fraud generated over $10 million in revenue for AOG Technics while total estimated losses to airlines and manufacturers exceeded $53 million.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala.Credit: Serious Fraud Office
Prosecutors said Zamora, 38, used his personal computer at home to alter genuine Authorized Release Certificates, the documentation required to verify that aircraft parts meet airworthiness standards. He then created fictitious shipping records to suggest that AOG Technics had acquired parts directly from reputable original equipment manufacturers, including Safran, a major French aerospace supplier.
To lend further credibility to the scheme, Zamora invented employees who did not exist. Airlines and parts suppliers received emails and official-looking documents signed by fabricated sales managers and quality control personnel, creating the appearance of a functioning, staffed business.
The fraud unraveled in 2023 when an airline contacted Safran to verify the authenticity of a certificate attached to an AOG Technics component. Safran determined the certificate was forged and alerted regulators.
Within weeks, aviation authorities in Britain, the United States and the European Union issued safety alerts covering all parts ever sold by the company. Aircraft in multiple countries were grounded while operators scrambled to inspect and replace the suspect components, per the Serious Fraud Office.
“Zamora’s operation risked public safety on a global scale in a way that defies belief,” said the agency’s Director of Operations, Emma Luxton.
Zamora pleaded guilty in December 2025 to fraudulent trading, allowing the case to be resolved in just over two years from the time the investigation was publicly announced.
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