Guilty Plea Entered in Copter Escape Try
A Los Angeles man who hired a helicopter pilot in a failed attempt to fly his brother out of a federal prison in Florida pleaded guilty in Miami Wednesday to conspiracy charges in connection with the unsuccessful escape attempt, authorities said.
Marc Kramer, 30, hired the pilot in April to fly into the exercise yard at the federal correctional center in Miami and pick up his brother, Benjamin Barry Kramer, who was awaiting trial on drug smuggling and money laundering charges, federal prosecutors said.
The inmate boarded the aircraft, but the helicopter crashed after its blades became entangled in a security fence as it tried to take off. Benjamin Kramer, who was injured in the crash, faces trial later this year on the escape charges, prosecutors said.
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