Regulations and Government
Pilots and line techs held on INS charges
Federal agents last month arrested six Venezuelan pilots and two ramp workers accused of using false immigration papers to obtain employment in the U.S.

Federal agents last month arrested six Venezuelan pilots and two ramp workers accused of using false immigration papers to obtain employment in the U.S. Two of the pilots, Pedro Agusti and Luis Garmendia, flew for American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle. Another pilot, Pedro Bottome, flew as a Citation X captain for Executive Jet Aviation. One of the ramp workers, Luis Gonzales, worked as a line serviceman for Signature Flight Support at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) International Airport.

All of the suspects except Garmendia live in Florida’s Broward County. INS agents apprehended Garmendia, a resident of Grapevine, Texas, after he completed a scheduled flight into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on February 9. Two others were taken into custody after landing at Miami International Airport.