Two police officers assigned to the Oakland Police Department’s specialized helicopter unit have been indicted by federal authorities alongside a former federal aviation safety inspector. The criminal charges allege that the trio participated in an illicit conspiracy designed to deceive the Federal Aviation Administration by fabricating flight testing records and securing unearned aviation credentials.
The indicted law enforcement personnel, identified as Oakland police officers David Mac and Brandon Mart, made their initial appearances in a federal courtroom in Oakland to face the allegations. During their arraignment, both officers entered formal pleas of not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and FAA certification fraud. Mart faces an additional criminal count for allegedly falsifying official records during the course of the scheme.
Federal prosecutors also leveled serious criminal accusations against William Miller, who was serving as an FAA aviation safety inspector during the timeframe of the alleged offenses. Indictment documents characterize Miller as the critical linchpin of the operation, using his regulatory authority to bypass mandatory safety evaluations and facilitate the fraudulent acquisition of airman ratings for the two officers.
As an authorized FAA safety inspector, Miller held the legal responsibility and official capacity to conduct practical flight examinations, commonly known in the aviation industry as "checkrides." These rigorous evaluations serve as a mandatory benchmark for pilots who are attempting to earn specialized airman certifications or instrument ratings required to operate aircraft under demanding operational conditions.
According to the federal indictment, the unlawful enterprise began operating in July 2023 and continued through approximately March 2024. Throughout this multi-month period, Mart, Mac, and Miller are accused of repeatedly submitting fabricated documentation and fraudulent test records to federal aviation regulators to illicitly generate official airman qualifications.
The federal allegations detail that the conspiracy involved generating false paperwork for at least four separate practical checkrides that never occurred in the manner represented to the regulatory agency. As a direct consequence of these fraudulent filings, Mart improperly obtained three separate airman certifications, while Mac was granted one unearned aviation certification through the scheme.
Federal investigators uncovered striking logistical contradictions in the records submitted by the defendants. In one notable instance cited by prosecutors, official documentation claimed that Miller had conducted a practical checkride with Mart in California. However, digital time stamps obtained during the federal investigation revealed that Miller was physically located across the country in Lakeland, Florida, at the exact time the test supposedly took place.
Court records further demonstrate that the conspirators routinely coordinated their fraudulent activities through direct electronic messaging. In one exchange from July 18, 2024, highlighted in the indictment, Mart contacted Miller to inquire whether he needed to pre-scan any documentation prior to an upcoming administrative step.
Miller allegedly instructed Mart to finalize his paperwork through the FAA's official Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application system, known as IACRA. Miller reassured the officer in the message that he would simply collect his identification details, asserting that he already knew Mart had the requisite flight endorsements and accumulated operational hours.
The indictment further outlines an incident from February 2024 in which Miller improperly issued a temporary airman certificate authorizing Mart to operate helicopters. Miller reportedly transmitted the temporary credential directly from his official government FAA email account to Mart’s private personal email inbox without verifying actual practical qualifications.
Federal prosecutors emphasized that both Mart and Miller affixed their signatures to an official FAA certification form certifying that Mart had met all prerequisite standards for the helicopter rating. In reality, investigators noted that during a practical evaluation flight, Mart failed to successfully execute the mandatory flight maneuvers legally required to obtain the rating.
The Oakland Police Department moved quickly to address the matter internally after the federal indictment became public. Oakland Police Chief James Beere confirmed that the municipal police agency was first made aware of the criminal proceedings on Thursday, prompting leadership to immediately place the two involved officers on administrative leave pending the judicial outcome of the federal case.
In a formal public statement addressing the charges, Chief Beere underscored the profound impact that alleged ethical and criminal breaches have on the relationship between law enforcement and the local community. He stated that when a sworn officer compromises public trust, it fundamentally damages personal integrity while eroding community-wide faith in the broader policing profession.
Chief Beere reiterated his department’s commitment to internal accountability, emphasizing that allegations of criminal conduct involving department personnel are treated with the highest degree of seriousness. While the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately provide additional public comment regarding the indictments, the legal proceedings against Mac, Mart, and Miller are set to move forward in federal court.
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