EX-STUDENT PILOT GETS PRISON TIME FOR LYING

A Burlington man has been sentenced to five months in
federal prison for making a false statement on his application for a
pilot's certificate. U.S. attorneys said that Tony Ogredius Cox, 45,
failed to report a prior conviction on the application.

Cox's attorney, David Freedman, said that his client had no intention of
misleading the federal government and never used his student license.

A jury convicted Cox in November after a two-day trial in
Winston-Salem. Sentencing was set for this week.

In addition to his prison time, Cox received five months of house
arrest and three years of supervised release. The U.S. District Court
judge also ordered him to pay a $500 fine.

Freedman said his client hasn't decided whether to appeal. Cox applied
for an airman medical and student-pilot certificate. The medical
portion indicates that a pilot is medically fit to fly. Freedman said
Cox did not tell a doctor about his criminal record because "He didn't
see how that information had anything to do with the medical exam."
Freedman said his client took two flight lessons. More than two years
later, Cox was charged with making a false statement.

Cox's prior criminal record includes possession with the intent to
sell and deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to sell and
deliver marijuana, obtaining property by false pretense, larceny and
assault. Freedman said his client was "very cooperative" with federal
investigators. Mark Reed, manager and flight instructor at Burlington
Aviation, said he could not discuss whether Cox attended his flight
school. But Reed said flight schools do a background check and send
applicants' paperwork to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Pilots must report whether they have prior drug convictions when
applying for a medical certificate, Reed said.

In certain cases, the FAA prohibits those with a history of substance
abuse from getting a certificate.