Two Oakland Police Department helicopter officers and a former federal aviation safety inspector have been indicted by federal authorities for their alleged roles in a multi-month conspiracy to obtain unauthorized aviation credentials through falsified testing documents.
The accused officers, identified as David Mac and Brandon Mart, appeared in an Oakland federal courtroom to face formal charges of conspiracy and Federal Aviation Administration certification fraud. Both defendants entered pleas of not guilty to all counts filed against them, while Mart faces an additional criminal charge for allegedly falsifying official records during the course of the scheme.
According to federal prosecutors, the illegal operation relied heavily on William Miller, who was serving as an FAA aviation safety inspector during the time of the alleged offenses. Authorities have characterized Miller as the vital linchpin of the operation, using his official capacity within the regulatory agency to validate fictitious flight tests and facilitate the issuance of unearned aviation qualifications to the two law enforcement officers.
Under standard regulatory procedures, safety inspectors such as Miller are entrusted with conducting practical flight evaluations, commonly referred to across the aviation industry as checkrides. These rigorous practical assessments are mandatory prerequisites for any pilot attempting to secure upgraded airman certifications, advanced operational ratings, or specialized instrument privileges.
The federal indictment indicates that the fraudulent operation commenced in July 2023 and persisted through approximately March 2024. Throughout this operational window, Mart, Mac, and Miller are accused of consistently generating and filing deceptive paperwork with the FAA to circumvent the rigorous practical evaluations required of aviators.
In total, the illicit arrangement encompassed at least four separate fraudulent checkrides, according to court documents obtained from the federal case. As a direct consequence of these manufactured testing records, Mart allegedly acquired three fraudulent airman certifications, while Mac successfully secured one illegitimate certification for his own record.
Federal investigators uncovered striking discrepancies in the paperwork submitted by the conspirators, including instances where documented flight evaluations could not have physically occurred as claimed. In one notable instance, records asserted that Mart had completed a practical checkride, yet digital time stamps revealed that Miller was actually in Lakeland, Florida, rather than in California where the examination supposedly took place.
The charging documents also highlight extensive direct communication among the three defendants as they coordinated the fraudulent filings. Federal prosecutors cited records from July 18, 2024, showing Mart reaching out to Miller to inquire whether he needed to pre-scan certain documentation in advance of an upcoming submission.
In response to Mart's inquiry, Miller instructed the officer to ensure his application forms were finalized through the FAA's Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application system, adding that he would secure Mart's identification information while assuring him that he already recognized his required hours and endorsements.
Further evidence detailed in the indictment points to a February 2024 incident in which Miller issued a temporary airman certificate for helicopter operations directly to Mart. The official document was dispatched from Miller’s federal government email account to Mart's private email address following a flight test in which Mart had noticeably failed to perform required flight maneuvers.
Despite the candidate's failure to demonstrate the mandatory aerial proficiencies, both Miller and Mart signed and submitted formal FAA documentation claiming that Mart had satisfied all legal eligibility requirements necessary to earn the rotorcraft credential.
The formal indictments sent immediate shockwaves through the Oakland Police Department, prompting leadership to take swift personnel action. Oakland Police Chief James Beere confirmed that municipal authorities were only made aware of the federal criminal proceedings on the day the indictments were unsealed.
Chief Beere announced that both officers named in the federal proceedings have been formally relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave while their criminal cases make their way through the judicial system. The chief emphasized that the department maintains strict standards regarding ethical conduct and legal compliance for all of its sworn personnel.
In an official public statement regarding the charges, Chief Beere underscored the profound damage that criminal misconduct causes to public trust, noting that when individual officers compromise their professional integrity, it inevitably undermines the broader relationship between the community and law enforcement as a whole.
The legal proceedings against Mac and Mart continue in federal court following their initial arraignment, while representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking further comment on the active prosecution.
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