Ship Surveyor Gets Jail Time for Lying to Coast Guard and Faking Inspection Reports
A Miami-based ship surveyor was sentenced to 21 months in prison for lying to the Coast Guard and falsely certifying that inspections had been carried out on two ships, the Department of Justice said Aug. 29. The inspections were designed to ensure that the ships were seaworthy and didn't pose a threat to the crew or the marine environment, said Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division.
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In May, Alejandro Gonzalez was found guilty of lying to a Coast Guard inspector and federal agent about the dry-docking of the M/V Cala Galdana, a 68-meter cargo vessel, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April and December 2009, DoJ said. Gonzalez said the vessel had been dry-docked in Colombia in 2006 when he knew it had not been, the agency said. Gonzalez was also convicted to faking documents for the M/V Cosette, a 92-meter cargo vessel. He certified the ship safe for sea while it was docked in Florida, but when the ship arrived in New York City Harbor, exhaust and fuel were pouring into the engine room, endangering the crew and ship, it said.