Three Plead Guilty in Defense Scam: The...
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Three Plead Guilty in Defense Scam: The owner of a Sylmar defense firm, Norman McHaffie, and two of his employees pleaded guilty to criminal allegations that he supplied millions of engine bolts for military aircraft without performing required tests. The failure to perform the tests continued over an eight-year period, and, after the government began investigating the case, the firm attempted to destroy documents from its files, the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged. In addition to McHaffie, 56, of Sylmar, James Hicks, 45, of Sepulveda and William Whitham, 37, of Lancaster entered guilty pleas.