A skydiving instructor in California has been sentenced to two years in prison for conducting unauthorized skydiving courses. Robert Allen Pooley, 49, from Acampo, was found guilty of wire fraud related to the courses after a federal jury trial. Pooley had obtained his tandem examiner certification in 2010, but it was suspended in 2015, prohibiting him from training future skydiving instructors independently.
Despite the suspension, Pooley continued to run the courses at the Lodi Parachute Center, where he trained over 100 candidates after his certification was revoked. In 2016, a tragic incident occurred when a student he trained, Yong Kwon, and a passenger, Tyler Turner, lost their lives during a tandem jump as Kwon was unable to deploy their parachutes. Pooley has not faced charges in connection with the incident.
Following the incident, some candidates requested refunds upon discovering that their certifications were invalid. However, Pooley refused to reimburse them, leading some to enroll in new courses at different locations. The Lodi Parachute Center has experienced a total of 28 fatalities since its establishment in 1985, as per an investigation by The Sacramento Bee.
Turner’s family initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against the center’s owner, William Dause, resulting in a $40 million judgment. Nevertheless, Turner’s family has not received any compensation from the lawsuit. In a recent incident in August, two individuals aged 28 tragically lost their lives during a tandem jump at Skydive Perris in Riverside County, marking the most recent fatalities in California skydiving.
This latest development highlights the importance of stringent regulations and oversight in the skydiving industry to ensure the safety of participants and prevent unauthorized activities that could jeopardize lives.