Owner of Aircraft Firm Arrested in Fraud Case : Oxnard: Rudolf A. Dixon receives a 50-count indictment Thursday in Dallas. He is to appear in federal court today, where his bail will be decided.

By JULIE FIELDS

Oct. 22, 1993 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

One day after his now-defunct Oxnard company was charged with fraud in civilian and military aircraft repair work, Rudolf A. Dixon was arrested by FBI agents in Dallas, authorities said.

Dixon, 57, made an initial appearance Thursday in U. S. District Court in Dallas, where he was given a copy of the 50-count indictment that was issued against him Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles.

During his court appearance, Dixon agreed to return to Los Angeles to answer the charges. He will appear in federal court again today, when a U. S. magistrate will decide the amount of Dixon’s bail. Prosecutors in Los Angeles have asked that Dixon be held on $500,000 bond.

Assistant U. S. Atty. George B. Newhouse Jr. said the high bail is being sought because Dixon allegedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling worn-out and illegal engine parts to the U. S. Air Force and commercial airline companies.

In addition, Newhouse said, Dixon no longer has a connection to the Los Angeles area and is considered a flight risk.

Dixon, who was arrested without incident at his aircraft parts sales company in a suburb of Dallas, could not be reached for comment.

Dixon and his Oxnard-based company, Dixon Aircraft Components, are accused of defrauding the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration by selling them substandard or obsolete parts for use in jet engines, helicopters and small commuter turboprop planes, the indictment says.

In some cases, the company allegedly made cosmetic changes and repairs to scrap parts and then sold the parts as new.

Dixon, who was certified by the FAA to do engine repair work, was awarded a $1.5-million contract in 1990 to work on the Air Force’s giant C-5 transport planes. The FBI began investigating Dixon in 1991 after one of his employees complained of widespread cheating on the Air Force contract.