Pilot investigated after alleged Wall Street threat
Officials: New York man held on false statements charge
From Kevin Bohn and Kelli Arena
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A commercial airline pilot who also flew for the New York Air National Guard is under investigation after allegedly threatening to fly a plane into Wall Street, according to court documents.
The United Airlines pilot, Robert Feneziani, was arrested Wednesday in Buffalo, New York, on a separate charge of making false statements to the Defense Department, officials said.
Feneziani pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for next Wednesday.
According to court documents, the FBI began to investigate Feneziani last week after an unidentified woman told authorities that in late 2003 he threatened to crash a plane into Wall Street "because he was frustrated that some people made easy money."
The woman also spoke of violent behavior by Feneziani, according to the documents.
In a court affidavit, an FBI agent said the woman had been in a relationship with Feneziani since 2001.
After her allegations, the FBI found Feneziani had lied when he signed a Defense Department form last year saying he had not been arrested in the previous seven years and had not been a party to any civil court actions in the same period.
The affidavit said Feneziani had been arrested on two misdemeanors in 2000 but that the charges were not pursued. It also said he and a woman had been parties to a civil action in the same year.
Officials involved in the investigation said they have found no evidence so far to suggest he was planning to follow through on his threat, but because he is a pilot and is accused of making statements regarding an airliner attack in New York that they could not dismiss them without an investigation.
Feneziani is assigned to the 107th Air Refueling Wing of the New York Air National Guard.
According to the affidavit, the woman who provided information to the FBI said the Air Force had removed Feneziani from flight status "because of his inability to control his anger during pilot training" at an Air Force Base in Oklahoma last year.
If he is convicted, the charge of providing false statements would carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Jeff Green, a spokesman for United Airlines, said Feneziani has been removed from active flying pending the outcome of the investigation. He would not provide details of how long Feneziani had been a pilot for the airline, or the type of questions pilots are asked in background checks.
All United's pilots underwent extensive background checks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he said.
