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Part Two: Helicopter Technologies, Van Nevel And Inside A Federal Raid
February 12, 2008
(This is the second of a three part NorthEscambia.com exclusive series. To read part one from Monday, click here.)
At the end of the day on January 8, 2008, Georges Van Nevel felt a little better about his Century business, Helicopter Technologies and his ongoing problems with the Federal Aviation Administration.
His newly hired consultant, one that he described as a “hard-nosed” former FAA inspector, had spent the day reviewing paperwork to help make sure everything was in order for a planned January 15 FAA inspection. Little did Van Nevel know, but his confrontations with the FAA were about escalate to a much higher level.
Sometime during the 5:00 hour that morning of January 9, federal officers surround the building with the help of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. The federal team busted a window to gain entry into the building.
“They came into the offices with their guns drawn and put my employees on the floor,” Van Nevel said. “They took them outside at gunpoint like they were criminals. This is not a crack house, for crying out loud.”
A night watchman asleep in a trailer outside the building was pulled out of the trailer in his underwear and handcuffed, he said, and female officers made fun of the underwear clad night watchman on the ground.
“I arrived about 15 minutes later and there were flashing lights and policemen everywhere” Van Nevel said. “They secured me in the parking lot, searched my truck and asked if I had any weapons. They were in SWAT team outfits; I thought I was going to be thrown in jail.”
“I see a guy, an armed sniper guy coming out of the back,” he said. “They actually had an armed sniper hiding back there.”
“I was taken inside to an office and held so they could ask questions,” Van Nevel continued. “I was interrogated Gestapo style.”
The Gestapo literally meant “secret state police” during the Nazi reign in Germany. It was under the administration of the “SS” or “Schutzstaffel” operated without judicial oversight or above the law.
“They should have had a badge that said ‘SS’,” Van Nevel said in a NorthEscambia.com exclusive interview. “My father was abused by the SS in World War II. It was just like the SS used to treat people in World War II. My constitutional rights were violated.”
(article continues below photographs)
“Van Nevel is suspected of improperly refurbishing helicopters and helicopter parts, selling unapproved aircraft parts, performing improper repairs on helicopters and misleading the aviation community by false advertisements,” according to federal documents from the Office of Transportation obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
Federal agents were to seize documents related to all of Van Nevel’s companies, according to federal documents. Documents to be seized include both paper documents and electronic information related to the operation of the company, including employee records, customer records, supplier records and aircraft maintenance information.
Picture above are NorthEscambia.com exclusive photographs of the search warrant documents from the federal raid, taken on January 9. The black boxes in the second photograph were added by NorthEscambia.com to obscure names and cell phone numbers there were not considered classified and not part of public record. Click either photograph to enlarge and read the documents.
“They didn’t shut me down; they told me it was ‘business as usual’,” Van Nevel said in our interview in his office. “But you can’t operate when they take everything.”
On the afternoon of the raid, the driver of one vehicle drove toward the parking lot not using the main driveway but a grassy area on the side. He was quickly approached by deputies before he entered the parking lot (pictured left, click to enlarge).
For more exclusive NorthEscambia.com photos from January 9, click here.
Van Nevel’s office still contained numerous files, a filing cabinet, a computer and dozens of document binders at the time of our interview late last week.
When asked about the remaining documents, he said “They did not take everything. They took important things like customer records, my contact list. They nearly burned up my copier making copies of things and they made copies of what was on my computers.”
“They confiscated all of my new parts, not just a sample. They took all of them,” Van Nevel said. “They took my notary stamp, personal bank accounts and my customer accounts list. They took things that are attorney-client privileged information. They took aircraft log books that do not belong to me. These people are criminal.”
“They even took my copies of my correspondence with the FAA,” he said. “They are the FAA, the ones I sent it to in the first place. It makes me wonder what’s going to happen to those documents, if they are going to tamper with them.”
“I will find a way to hold them accountable,” Van Nevel said, raising his voice slightly. “They were laughing at me.”
Pictured at top of page: A row of FH1100 helicopters sits inside Helicopter Technologies in Century. Some are nearly complete, according to owner Georges Van Nevel, and others are just a frame like the one in the photograph foreground. Click to enlarge. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos.
On Wednesday morning, we’ll look at the present and the future of Helicopter Technologies, Van Nevel and how all this relates to the Town of Century and the entire North Escambia area.
Comments
One Response to “Part Two: Helicopter Technologies, Van Nevel And Inside A Federal Raid”
I have read the FAA crash report. In the report it states that the aircraft was flying at tree top level. If the pilot was having problems with the aircraft he should have landed the aircraft. All I can see is a father who is grief stricken and on the attack. Sorry about your son but it was pilot error that killed your son not Van Nevel.So get a grip the number one cause of crashes is pilot error. All else being second. NOW YOU NEED TO GET THE BIG PICTURE!!!!