PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - In the annals of criminal history, few stories capture the public's imagination quite like that of the daring "airplane thief" who embarked on a cross-country spree of avionics equipment theft.
According to the Department of Justice, in 2019, Mario Mercier Hernandez, a 59-year-old New Port Richey, Florida resident, set his sights on a lucrative criminal enterprise.
Leveraging his ownership of two companies, JWG International and JWG Aviation, Mercier began a systematic campaign of breaking into airplanes across the United States, stealing valuable avionics equipment, and then reselling the stolen goods to unsuspecting buyers through various online platforms.
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Mercier's criminal activities spanned numerous states, including Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, and beyond. He would meticulously plan his heists, targeting airports and airplanes with surgical precision, ensuring that he could quickly and efficiently make off with his ill-gotten gains.
From the Sunshine State to the Pacific Northwest, Mercier left a trail of stolen electronics in his wake, amassing a small fortune through his nefarious enterprise.
To add an additional layer of deception to his scheme, Mercier used his companies, which claimed to provide aid to impoverished children in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as a front for his criminal activities.
This clever ruse allowed him to obfuscate the true nature of his business and further distance himself from the growing list of thefts.
As Mercier's crimes continued to escalate, law enforcement agencies across the country took notice and launched a coordinated investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with various state and local law enforcement entities, worked tirelessly to piece together the evidence and track down the elusive thief.
Mercier's reign of thievery finally came to an end on May 23, 2024, when he was apprehended while in the act of stealing more equipment from aircraft at the Caldwell Executive Airport in Caldwell, Idaho.
This arrest marked the culmination of a years-long investigation that had spanned multiple jurisdictions and involved a vast network of law enforcement agencies.
Interestingly, this was not Mercier's first foray into the world of avionics theft. In 2008, he had been convicted for a similar scheme to steal and resell avionics equipment in the Middle District of Florida. Despite this prior conviction, Mercier remained undeterred and continued to pursue his criminal activities, ultimately leading to his downfall.
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The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida has now charged Mercier with five counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count.
Additionally, the government is seeking an order of forfeiture for any proceeds obtained from his criminal enterprise.
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