El Cajon

The former vice president of an El Cajon jet engine manufacturing and refurbishing company pleaded guilty Monday to damaging government property in 1986.

Joao Jaime Costa, 51, of San Diego will be sentenced on the misdemeanor charge Feb. 13. He formerly worked for Jet Air, which has been sold and operates under another name.

He faces a sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

George Straza, 58, former president of the company, is scheduled to plead guilty to similar charges in the same case Feb. 6, said Assistant U. S. Atty. George Hardy.

Straza is serving a 4 1/2-year federal prison term in Boron, Calif., for mail fraud in 1987 and violating his probation on another case in 1984.

Hardy said Costa’s plea related to sending defective air seals to the Air Force.

“He’s a very minor player in this thing,” said Hardy.

Straza is scheduled to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and making false statements, Hardy said.

The 31-count indictment also alleges that Straza and Costa stole $25,000 in gold that had been extracted from jet engine parts.