Flight School Whose Employees Allegedly Tried To Kidnap, Deport Chinese Student Facing Unrelated Lawsuit
REDDING (CBS13) - A Northern California flight school with employees facing allegations of kidnapping, conspiracy, and threatening deport one of its students, is also battling a separate civil lawsuit.
Court documents filed against IASCO Flight Training last year by a former IASCO certified flight instructor claims the school violated FAA rules by forcing instructors to work long hours and teach students who "...lacked the ability to read, speak, write and understand the English language."
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The civil case is still working its way through the Sacramento federal court.
The school is under new scrutiny after an audio recording published by the Redding Record Searchlight includes an exchange with IASCO Flight Training manager Joseph McConkey, shouting at a Chinese national student-pilot.
"Hey listen to me," McConkey said. "I've got your f****** passport. You're leaving now. Immigration will take you to f**** jail. Get your s*** together you have five minutes."
The obscenity-laced recording also includes the voice of IASCO employee Kelsie Hoser.
"You are hear [sic] illegal," Hoser said. "You know that? If you don't go with us, you go to jail."
Redding police say the pair made the threats to a Chinese national student and threatened to deport him. They are facing kidnapping and conspiracy charges. The Record Searchlight reports the student they targeted is named is Tianshu Shi.
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IASCO is an FAA certificated pilot school that caters to Chinese-nationals, who use student visas while they are enrolled.
Attorneys for McConkey and Hoser issued a joint statement calling the arrest in the new criminal case a complicated situation. They say their clients are innocent.
The statement reads, in part:
"Mr. Shi was given every legally permissible opportunity to successfully complete his training but was unable to demonstrate competency. He was given ample notice that he was required by law to return home to China upon his expulsion from the flight program."
Attorneys for Hoser and McConkey deny the allegations and say they intend to prove their clients' innocence.
[H/T Record Searchlight]