Engineer charged with obstructing investigation into Yanky 72 plane crash

OXFORD, MS – A former Robins Air Force Base employee was arrested on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice as part of the federal criminal investigation into a 2017 military plane crash that killed 16 service members.

On July 10, 2017, a United States Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft known as “Yanky 72” crashed near Itta Bena, Mississippi, killing 15 Marines and a Navy medic. On Tuesday morning, James Michael Fisher, 67, formerly of Warner Robins, Georgia, and currently living in Portugal, was arrested on an indictment by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi. The indictment charges him with obstruction of justice and making false statements during the investigation of the crash.

According to the indictment, Fisher, a former propulsion engineer in the C-130 program office at Robins Air Force Base, engaged in conduct designed to avoid scrutiny of his prior engineering decisions that may have been related to the crash. The indictment alleges that Fisher withheld important engineering documents from law enforcement officials and made factually false statements about his prior engineering decisions.

Fisher is charged with two counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine the sentence, taking into account U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi Clay Joyner, along with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

WASHINGTON, DC – James Miller, 41, of Virginia, was convicted today of burglary, simple assault and criminal damage to property in connection with a break-in at his pregnant ex-wife’s home in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Police Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

On January 10, a Supreme Court jury found Miller guilty of burglary, simple assault and criminal damage after a mistrial. Today, Judge Robert A. Salerno sentenced Miller to five years in prison.

According to government evidence, on September 19, 2023, Miller broke into his ex-wife’s home by breaking down the front door. Once inside, he charged at his ex-wife, grabbed her by the neck, and threw her to the ground. When she got back up, he grabbed her by her robe and threw her on the couch. The victim and her 22-year-old daughter, who was hiding upstairs, both called 911. Police arrived at 1:49 a.m. and arrested Miller at the scene.

U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in investigating the case. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Matthew Covert of the Domestic Violence Section for prosecuting the case.

Bronx, New York: The Secret World — On Saturday around 7:30 p.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting an assault in front of 2227 University Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found a 28-year-old on-duty MTA bus driver who had been assaulted by an unknown individual.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was struck and spit on by an individual as she attempted to exit the MTA BX3 bus near the West 183 Street stop. The attacker fled on foot.

The victim suffered minor injuries and was taken by emergency services to New York Presbyterian Allen Hospital for medical evaluation.