Grounded in Silence: How a Convicted Fraudster Slipped Back Into AviationPart One of an Ongoing Investigation

Grounded in Silence: How a Convicted Fraudster Slipped Back Into Aviation

Part One of an Ongoing Investigation

A Familiar Name in an Unfamiliar Deal

In October 2022, a buyer believed he had struck gold: a 1950 Beechcraft Bonanza (N5082C) with a fresh annual inspection, new avionics, and reupholstered seats. To close the deal, he delivered a Corvette and a large wire transfer to the seller, a man calling himself “Todd Stone.”

To deliver the airplane, the buyer hired a commercial ferry pilot—who was also a former law enforcement officer and FAASTeam volunteer. That pilot’s instincts would unravel the truth: “Todd Stone” was in fact Todd Van Natta, a convicted fraudster whose history of deception stretched across two states and three decades.

Red Flags From the Start

Bonanzas are maintenance-heavy aircraft. At more than 70 years old, they typically come out of annuals with pages of squawks: corrosion, cracking ruddervators, leaky tanks, tired landing gear. Yet the logs on this Bonanza were pristine.

The pilot called Michael Spires, airport manager at White Plains Airpark (SC99) and deputy county administrator for Lexington County. Spires had never heard of a “Todd Stone” operating a business there. A local flight instructor said the same. In general aviation, where reputations spread like high school gossip, this was an impossibility.

Finally, on a conference call with the seller’s insurance agent, the truth slipped out. After praising “Todd” as a trustworthy client she’d insured for years, she referred to him as “Todd Van Natta.”

The FAA’s Rare Response

The pilot escalated the matter. Spires brought in the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office, assigning Sgt. Young. At the same time, the pilot contacted the Columbia FSDO (FSDO-13).

Unlike typical cases—where callers are directed to the 866-TELL-FAA hotline—inspectors seemed immediately familiar with Van Natta’s name. Within days, they dispatched a team: Principal Avionics Inspector K. Bruce Vestal, Inspector Baker, and Inspector Clamp.

Their findings were damning. They placed an FAA Condition Notice (Form 8620-1) on the Bonanza’s door, grounding it. Condition Notices are rarely issued; they declare an aircraft unsafe to fly. Inspectors documented cracked windshields, corroded rivets, missing fasteners, dry-rotted tires, uncertified avionics installs, sloppy wiring dangling near rudder pedals, a damaged engine mount, and an airworthiness certificate so torn it was unreadable.

The “fresh annual” was a sham.

The Supporting Cast

Van Natta wasn’t working alone. Federal prosecutors later indicted Mark Alvin DiBlasi, an FAA-certificated mechanic, as a co-conspirator. His signatures on inspections gave Van Natta the paperwork needed to sell unsafe aircraft. Only after charges were filed did the FAA suspend his certificate.

Another name, Nicole Le, surfaced on corporate paperwork for Skyward Ventures LLC, on mailing receipts tied to the Bonanza, and even on a parallel title search that revealed a $15,000 lien before the buyer knew about it. Yet Le has not been charged. Her role remains a mystery.

A Decade of Fraud — And Counting

The Bonanza deal was just the latest in a string of cons:

• 2013 – Indiana Federal Conviction: Convicted of bank, wire, and tax fraud, including aviation loans and a sham aircraft sale. Sentence: 5 years prison, $6.97M restitution.
• 2018 – SC Securities Ban: Barred permanently after the Attorney General exposed a sham shoe reselling scheme through Channel Remarketing, LLC.
• 2020 – Federal Sentencing (SC): Convicted of defrauding 28 investors out of $1M+, sentenced to 51 months prison + 10 months for violating supervised release. Restitution: $1M+.
• 2022–2025 – Aviation Fraud: Released May 27, 2022, re-emerged under alias “Todd Stone,” selling aircraft with fraudulent inspections. Federal indictment and guilty plea followed. Sentencing: Sept 16, 2025, Columbia, SC.

Each conviction was followed by another scheme. Each ban was followed by another industry.

The FOIA Trail — Agencies Go Silent

Attempts to pull records have met resistance:

• FAA: Confirmed it is processing enforcement records, inspector notes, and EIRs for Van Natta and DiBlasi. Expedited processing was denied, despite public safety concerns and imminent sentencing.
• FBI: Issued a Glomar denial, refusing to confirm or deny records, citing privacy exemptions—even though Van Natta is a convicted felon awaiting sentencing.
• Lexington County Sheriff’s Office: Acknowledged responsive records, including investigative files and jail calls, but withheld them as part of an “ongoing investigation,” despite Van Natta’s guilty plea.

The result: a wall of silence.

Cover-Up, or Bureaucratic Paralysis?

Why was Van Natta allowed to continue selling aircraft while under investigation? Why has Nicole Le never been charged? Why did the FAA and FBI—both familiar with his history—allow him back into aviation so quickly?

At best, this is bureaucratic paralysis. At worst, it is a government cover-up, shielding failures and sparing certain players from accountability.

To Be Continued

This is Part One of a longer investigation. Next, we will examine

• The mechanic’s role and the FAA’s oversight gaps.
• Evidence that Van Natta sold multiple aircraft under investigation.
• Why federal agencies still refuse to release records, even after convictions and guilty pleas.
• The unanswered question of who protected Nicole Le.

 Editor’s Note: This feature is based on federal indictments, DOJ press releases, FAA emails, FOIA responses, and interviews with law enforcement. Victim names are withheld to protect privacy