First of 4 Pilots indicted for lying on Medical is Sentenced.

[Juan Alicea]

GREGORY JAMES CHRISMAN was sentenced 09/15/2020 to two years probation, lost his pilot certificates and it's unemployed.

Chrisman previously worked as a commercial pilot, and this prosecution arises from false statements that Chrisman made on medical certifications submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These certifications are known as Form 8500-8s.

In August 2018, Chrisman was charged with two counts of making false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), for claims made on his December 10, 2017 and June 24, 2018 Form 8500-8s. ECF No. 1. As relevant here, the indictment alleged that Chrisman falsely certified that he had never received any medical disability benefits on both Form 8500-8s, even though he had been receiving medical disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Chrisman’s Post-Indictment Conduct In December 2018—after being charged—Chrisman visited an AME named Dr. William Brath. Dr. Brath reviewed Chrisman’s Form 8500-8s between at least 2012 and 2017.1 At that time, Chrisman told Dr. Brath that he had been receiving disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. ECF No. 59-2 at 2 (FAA OIG Memorandum of Interview, Dr. William Brath). “Until then, [Dr.] Brath had no idea Chrisman was receiving VA disability benefits.” Id. at 2–3. Despite this lack of knowledge, Chrisman then asked Dr. Brath to write a letter falsely stating that Dr. Brath had already known about the benefits, and also falsely stating that Dr. Brath had advised Chrisman not to report receiving those benefits to the FAA.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

The wonderful way in which the FAA can cast a very wide net with the medical requirements. </sarcasm>

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

At the core of it, was Chrisman actually a dangerous pilot? Did he endanger his passengers or his employers business due to a medical deficiency?

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

That's right. He has not been sentenced. Sentencing is currently set for 10/19.
Minor nit: United States Attorney (US Attorney for short), not district attorney. They'd be insulted

Yes, they tend to have a very high and mighty opinion of themselves.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

He was either a liar and stealing from the government in the form of a VA disability payment he did not deserve OR he was working as an airline pilot with a disability that the FAA considers disqualifying.

The fact that he was able to successfully cope with the demands of an airline pilot lifestyle for many years suggests to me that whatever level of PTSD he had may not have been disabling to a degree that warranted a pension payment. I would rather see him fly and the VA inspector general claw back every dollar he falsely received (and make it available for those veterans who need it).

I suspect this is correct in that he likely was not actually a dangerous pilot, dealing with that lifestyle for years. So I would be curious to hear of any further information regarding the actual level of his disability and if it resulted in any known dangerous errors while flying.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

The indictment has nothing to do with his ability to pilot.

Sort of my original point. The FAA’s medical authority is interpreted so broadly now that it allows them to drag in all sorts of other behavior that at its core has nothing to do with the safety of flight.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

So are you saying a pilot’s criminal behavior outside of work should have no bearing on their employment?

No, I am not. I think his employers should pay very close attention to such things. Probably more careful attention than the FAA does.

But that is a voluntary interaction between him and his employers. And employers can decide what level of scrutiny is appropriate in collaboration with their insurers, subject to market forces.

I believe this would improve safety of flight for passengers and third parties to a greater degree than having a bureaucracy involved.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Peter, you can't lie on faa forms. This guy usurped the process to determine if he was medically competent to fly by not disclosing his disability. He should not be flying for hire, he isn't trustworthy and probably medically disqualified.

Well, of course you “can” lie on FAA forms but it not likely to result in a good outcome!

Unclear from the facts I have seen so far in this case if he was just lying on the form or was actually a risk to flight safety. Still hoping to see more data on that.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

So in our judicial system, do we have “guilty”, “not guilty” and “he got off”?

What we do have is guilty in a criminal matter and lost in a civil proceeding. OJ and Blake both lost the latter due to the different standards of evidence used - beyond a reasonable doubt versus preponderance of the evidence.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

More to the core of it. What else would he lie about that would get someone hurt.

That is a good question. I wonder what data there is in his case or more generally which would associate a willingness to lie on such a form with other dangerous piloting?

Personally I really dislike people who don’t tell the truth and am frankly probably too trusting. But I do wonder how strong the association in a case like this is.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

To be an ATP you need to have good "moral" character. The liers don't.

A wonderfully broad and somewhat vague phrase. I agree it should be eliminated from government regulations, which need to be objectively administered according to the law. This is another example of what I commented on originally, which is the wide net the FAA can cast with their aeromedical regulations.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Yeah, that's more despicable. But I don't think the average guy is thinking that hard about it.

Funny, I have the exact opposite view. Agree the people taking the VA disability are probably just following along as they are coached to.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

But bragging about it is dispicable.

Certainly strikes me that bragging about it is unwise. Particularly if you hold an FAA medical!