Scot Spencer, the former San Bernardino airport manager accused of fraud, arrived in California on Thursday, March 28 to face conspiracy charges.
Days after his arrest in Florida, Spencer, 48, landed at John Wayne Airport in Orange County around 4 p.m. in the custody of two San Bernardino County district attorney investigators.
Dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt, black slacks and white sneakers, Spencer said he had no comment about the charges filed against him. He appeared to be restrained with handcuffs, but his hands were covered by a dark blanket.
He is scheduled to be booked at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
District Attorney Michael Ramos announced Monday that his office had filed charges against Spencer and Felice Luciano, 69, an investor in one of Spencer’s companies, after a long-running investigation into management of the airport.
Spencer was arrested Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla., where he owns a home, and had been held at a Palm Beach County jail.
The airport's first developer and manager, Spencer was the focus of a critical San Bernardino County civil grand jury report in June 2011 and an FBI-led search three months later that sought evidence of wrongdoing.
Spencer waived extradition hearings that could have delayed his arrival.
He is expected to be arraigned Friday, March 28, or Tuesday, April 2.
Luciano, of Tempe, Ariz., remains at large but his attorney has been in contact with prosecutors and has had discussions about Luciano surrendering, district attorney’s spokesman Christopher Lee said.
Spencer and Luciano each face two charges of conspiracy to commit grand theft. Spencer also was charged with two counts of perjury and one count of preparing false documents. The charges were filed March 22 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Prosecutors have filed requests for no-bail warrants for both suspects.
The charges relate to a $1.75 million claim Spencer submitted in July 2008 for a hangar lease agreement that prosecutors allege was fraudulent, the criminal complaint states.
Spencer claimed that he had booked a hangar at the airport for a plane to be leased to the Democratic National Committee, but officials had booked the same hanger for another tenant. As a result, Spencer was forced to cancel his contract for the jet, he said.
Airport authorities paid Spencer about $1 million in a legal settlement to avoid a lawsuit.
The complaint describes the lease as “non-existent” and states that Luciano's involvement included signing a document claiming to represent the aviation company that had the supposed deal with the Democratic National Committee.
The airport authority issued a statement Thursday defending its decision to settle with Spencer, saying the action was taken in “good faith” based on representations by Spencer and his attorneys.
“SBIAA would not have entered into the settlement agreement if we had been fully informed of the true nature of the facts surrounding the alleged claims presented by Mr. Spencer,” the statement read.
Airport officials said they plan to recover their losses through possible legal actions against Spencer and any other parties involved.
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