Source: Office of United States Attorneys
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Jacqueline C. Romero, announced today that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has entered a consent judgment against Michael DiCiurcio of Philadelphia, PA. In its complaint against DiCiurcio, the United States alleges that DiCiurcio operated small unmanned aircraft systems (“sUAS”) – commonly known as drones – unlawfully and unsafely in the Philadelphia area between at least December 2019 to the present, in violation of Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) requirements.
The United States alleges that DiCiurcio operated flights at night, in close proximity to the William Penn Statue, PSFS Building, and Liberty One Building, resulting in the sUAS almost striking a church steeple during one flight. The United States alleges that during certain flights DiCiurcio improperly operated the sUAS inside of controlled airspace near the Philadelphia airport, over people and cars, and, in at least one instance, lost control of the sUAS, causing it to fly uncontrolled over Philadelphia.
The FAA warned DiCiurcio in writing and provided him with counseling and education regarding requirements for safe operations of a sUAS under the Federal Aviation Regulations. The United States alleges that DiCiurcio nonetheless has continued to operate sUASs illegally and in a careless or reckless manner that endangers others.
Terms of the Consent Judgment
On January 23, 2025, before Magistrate Judge Jose Arteaga, DiCiurcio agreed to the terms of the consent judgment, including that: DiCiurcio (1) admits that all allegations of his conduct set forth in the Verified Complaint are true and accurate; (2) admits that the conduct as alleged in the Verified Complaint violated FAA regulations and safety guidance as alleged; and (3) accepts the administrative findings of violations and further acknowledges that the FAA will deem those matters as findings of violations that may be considered aggravating factors in any future enforcement proceedings against him.
In addition, DiCiurcio agrees that he will: (1) never operate in any manner any sUAS of any type, size, model, of any kind within the United States, nor will he ever seek any type of certification or license to operate any type or form of sUAS; (2) take down the YouTube channel known as “Philly Drone Life” and no longer operate or resurrect its content or any part in any form; (3) abandon those sUAS and other items he surrendered to the FAA on May 23, 2024, pursuant to the Court’s Order sanctioning DiCiurcio for contempt of the preliminary injunction entered by the Court on February 29, 2024.
On January 29, 2025, Chief Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg signed the consent judgment.
“We work hard to educate people about safely flying their drones, and we don’t hesitate to take strong enforcement action when pilots deliberately flout the rules,” said Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson.
“Failing to adhere to the safety requirements for flying small unmanned aircraft systems endangers people and property,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “All drone flyers have a responsibility to ensure that they observe all applicable regulations and guidance. Our Office is committed to ensuring total compliance with the FAA regulations and we will vigorously enforce violations wherever we find them.”
The allegations regarding unsafe sUAS flights in violation of FAA regulations are described in detail in the complaint. The case is captioned United States of America v. Michael DiCiurcio, Case No. 24-0612 (E.D. Pa.).
The case has been investigated by the FAA’s Flight Standards Division, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Viveca D. Parker.
All civil claims are allegations only. There has been no determination of civil liability.