Ship Surveyor Convicted of Lying to Coast Guard About Ship Safety
A U.S. District Court-Miami jury convicted a Miami-based ship surveyor for lying to the Coast Guard and for falsely certifying the safety of ships at sea, in a decision May 24. Alejandro Gonzalez, 60, was convicted of three counts of making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard and one count of obstruction of an agency proceeding. He faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count.
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The jury said Gonzalez lied to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors and a criminal investigator in April 2009 about the dry-docking of the M/V Cala Galdana, a 68-meter cargo vessel, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez repeatedly claimed the vessel was dry-docked in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 2006. Evidence at the trial proved the vessel was never in Colombia during 2006. U.S. Coast Guard inspectors in San Juan discovered the vessel taking on water in August 2008 and requested information about the last dry-docking of the vessel.
The jury said Gonzales was also guilty of falsifying documents in December 2009 for the M/V Cosette, a 92-meter cargo vessel. As the surveyor on behalf of Bolivia, Gonzalez certified the ship as safe for sea while the vessel was docked in Fort Pierce, Fla., in November 2009. Soon thereafter, U.S. Coast Guard inspectors in New York City harbor discovered exhaust and fuel pouring into the ship’s engine room, endangering the crew and the ship.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 2 in Miami.