--- title: "SpaceX Component Engineer Charged With Faking Inspection Reports" description: "An investigation revealed that a quality assurance engineer at an aerospace parts company forged signatures for some 38 inspection reports." date: "2019-05-23" modified: "2019-05-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-parts-engineer-charged" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "aerospace engineer" - "rockets" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Component Engineer Charged With Faking Inspection Reports ![An investigation revealed that a quality assurance engineer at an aerospace parts company forged signatures for some 38 inspection reports.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Forged Signatures An [investigation]() by NASA’s inspector general, the FBI, and the Air Force revealed that James Smalley, a quality assurance engineer at a New York state-based aerospace parts company that makes parts for SpaceX's rockets, forged signatures for some 38 inspection reports. According to officials, the forgeries could've easily ended up disaster, putting lives at risk. Smalley's employer, PMI industries, has manufactured parts for SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. [According to *The Verge*](), an internal audit in January 2018 found that dozens of signatures for inspection reports and test certifications were tampered with. "According to the criminal complaint, James Smalley took the act of forgery to a new level," said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert in a [Department of Justice statement](). "A potentially catastrophic level with the potential to not only cost millions of dollars, but also jeopardize years of irreplicable work." ## Potential Catastrophe 76 individual parts produced by PMI also had either been rejected upon inspection or never inspected in the first place, according to the investigation. "Such fraudulent conduct jeopardizes no only the success of the program but the lives of the brave men and women who rely on the integrity of not just the space vehicles themselves but all those who help to design and build them," U.S. Attorney Kennedy said in the statement. Smalley could be facing up to 10 years in prison and substantial fines. SpaceX has terminated its business relationship with PMI industries. **READ MORE:** [Engineer charged with faking inspection reports for parts used in SpaceX rockets]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on SpaceX:** *[SpaceX Is Now Suing the United States Government]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()