LODI, Calif. — A San Joaquin County skydiver was sentenced to prison for wire fraud related to running unauthorized tandem skydiving instructor courses, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Officials said Robert Allen Pooley ran the courses in 2016 at the Lodi Parachute Center in Acampo.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial, Pooley was not allowed to teach tandem instructor courses on his own after his examiner ratings were revoked by the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) and the Uninsured United Parachute Technologies LLC (UPT) in August 2015.
However, officials said Pooley concealed his suspensions and continued to teach students without proper authorization. He falsely told students he was certified and led them to believe they could receive their USPA and UPT ratings from him, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ said Pooley used a digital image of the signature of a properly rated tandem examiner to sign off on the training that he conducted.
The investigation into Pooley started when two people fell to their deaths during a tandem dive on Aug. 6, 2016. The instructor leading the dive was one of Pooley’s students.
After the two people died, several of Pooley’s students demanded he pay them back, but officials said he refused.
ABC10 previously reported during the investigation into the deadly skydiving accidents, the USPA found that some of the people who took Pooley's courses were not properly taught and that the classes might have been abbreviated or incomplete.
At the time, 140 tandem instructors from Pooley's classes had to retake classes or go through full and complete tandem instructor rating courses with a certified USPA tandem examiner.
Pooley’s students paid approximately $1,100 each, according to the DOJ.
Pooley was convicted of wire fraud in May. The DOJ said Judge William B. Shubb found Pooley’s offense involved a conscious or reckless risk of death or serious bodily injury and applied a sentencing enhancement.
