Local News in Brief : Guilty Plea Expected From Aerospace Firm

Genisco Technology Corp. has tentatively agreed to plead guilty to charges that it falsely certified tests on critical components for the high-speed anti-radar missile and three other military contracts.

The Carson aerospace company is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of making false statements to government agencies in connection with the false test certifications, according to documents filed Friday by government prosecutors in Los Angeles federal court.

The tentative plea agreement, lodged with U.S. District Judge A. Andrew Hauk, calls for Genisco to pay $725,000 in fines and restitution over a five-year probation period and repair any faulty parts already delivered to the U.S. Navy.

The quality assurance manager for Genisco’s transducer products division in Simi Valley, Robert L. Kersnick, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of making false statements in connection with parts supplied for the HARM missile and the Coast Guard’s Dolphin search-and-rescue helicopter.

Earlier, two other company executives earlier entered guilty pleas.

A federal grand jury indictment alleges that the company faked test certifications for critical military components whose failure could cause missiles and torpedoes equipped with them to miss their targets.