A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

Colin Stevens, a former vice president of sales and marketing with Embraer Executive Jets, has pleaded guilty in connection with a scheme to bribe a high-level Saudi Arabian government official in 2010 in exchange for assistance in selling Embraer aircraft to the country’s national oil company.&nbsp;According to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-embraer-sales-executive-pleads-guilty-foreign-bribery-and-related-charges" target="_blank">information released</a> by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 61-year-old Stevens, a UK national living in the UAE, admitted to crimes including violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), committing conspiracy to violate the FCPA, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement.

 


As part of his plea, Stevens admitted that he engaged in a plot to have Embraer pay bribes to a foreign official in exchange for assistance in getting an aircraft sales contract awarded to Embraer on favorable terms, as well as receiving a kickback in the scheme and then lying to law enforcement officials about that kickback. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

 


The guilty plea follows a deferred prosecution agreement between the airframer and the DOJ made in October 2016, with respect to an investigation that found irregular transactions occurred in four different countries in the past decade. Under this arrangement, Embraer agreed to pay a $107 million penalty related to a wider investigation by U.S. and Brazilian officials into corrupt conduct in several countries, including Saudi Arabia.

 


In a statement, Embraer noted the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been conducting investigations with regard to certain individuals, and that it is not a part of, nor has it been informed of, the development of these investigations.

 


The airframer added that it treated the matter seriously and fully cooperated with the investigation. As events unfolded, the company said, it voluntarily expanded its scope and shared the results with the relevant authorities.&nbsp;

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Former Embraer Exec Jets VP Pleads Guilty to Fraud

The conviction resulted from a 2010 deal involving bribes and kickbacks in the sale of several business jets in Saudi Arabia.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Kerry Lynch

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Duffy served in Congress from 2011 to 2019

Former Rep. Duffy Selected for Transportation Secretary

AmyWilder

Operators push for simpler fatigue-management rules

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Thune formerly chaired the Commerce Committee and is well versed in aviation issues

Thune Move to Senate Majority Leader Draws Bizav Praise

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News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

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News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Report identifies vulnerabilities in labor, materials, and infrastructure

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News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

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