Lodi skydiving instructor sentenced to two years in prison after fatal incident

A Lodi skydiving instructor, Robert Allen Pooley, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison followed by 36 months of supervised release on charges of wire fraud in a case involving fraudulently using a colleague's credentials to certify skydivers. The verdict was announced Monday in federal court in Sacramento.

Pooley's certification was suspended when he approved a tandem jump in 2016 that resulted in the deaths of Yong Kwon, 25, and Tyler Turner, 18. The jump ended tragically when Kwon, who was not properly trained, had problems with both parachutes. lead to a fatal fall.

Pooley was convicted of using signed letters from fellow teacher Yuri Garmashov to falsely certify students, including Kwon, that they could lead tandem jumps. Although Pooley was not directly charged with the deaths, Judge William Shubb ruled that the incident could affect the length of his sentence because of the risk of injury or death associated with the fraudulent activity.

Pooley has appealed the verdict, but prosecutors argued his actions caused people, including Kwon and Turner, to take risks they otherwise would not have taken.

The Lodi Parachute Center, where the incident occurred, has a history of fatal incidents with at least 28 deaths since 1985. Pooley has not been charged in any of those deaths.