UMBRA, BUT NOT “THAT” UMBRA...
The behavior of the owner of UMBRA HOLDINGS LLC (USA) STEFANO LUZZI MARCONE was similar to the behavior of a player in a casino, who is constantly raising his bet. When the BLACKLIST.AERO Registry administration sent the CASE HAS BEEN CREATED notification, we immediately received a response:
«We have been in communications with the customer almost on a daily basis. WE HAVE NOT DISAPPEARED!!
We are checking with our bank in Panama as to the status of their payment.
We will resolve this matter within the 10 days given. Please confirm if the 10 days is business days or calendar days?
Final Deadline for resolution is 06OCTOBER2023?
Kindly reply to this email soonest.
Stefano Luzzi Marcone”
When the 10-days validation and mediation period was coming to an end, we and the claimants of this case received a new letter from Stefano:
«I trust this message finds you well. I am wring on behalf of UMBRA HOLDINGS LLC to address the maer concerning Purchase Order PO-02109, totaling $210,000. We deeply regret the delay and any inconvenience it may have caused. The delay was the result of an internal oversight for which we take full responsibility. To recfy this situaon and demonstrate our commitment to resolving it, we propose the following payment plan:
(1) 50%oftheoutstandingamount,$105,000,willbepaidby,10/15/2023. (2) Theremaining50%willbepaidby10/26/2023.
We kindly request your understanding and agreement to this extended meline to facilitate the safe return of the funds as we need to complete our internal processes of moving funds to our new bank.
We wish to highlight the potenal consequences of our company being listed on Blacklist.aero, which would severely impact our reputaon and hinder any present or future ability to fulfill our financial obligaons with your esteemed company. Therefore, We kindly request an extension of publicaon on Blacklist.aero until full payment is made.
In recognion of the inconvenience caused, we agree to a 5% penalty fee, amounng to $10,500.00, to compensate for any losses incurred by your organizaon. This fee is irrevocable and due upon mutual agreement to the proposed payment extension. We are also implemenng measures to prevent such oversights in the future, including process banking revisions and addional training. Our goal is to maintain a strong business relaonship free from similar setbacks».
Well, the claimant company decided to agree to these conditions. And on the “appointed day, appointed hour” they received the long-awaited message:
«Dear ALL-
See attached. Confirmation from today. As agreed $253,000.00 USD
Best regards,
Stefano»
For several days, this payment “was on the way” to our claimant, until it turned out that there was no payment, and the SWIFT confirming the payment was fake. As soon as this became clear, Stefano instantly made a new bet in his virtual casino:
«I hope this message finds you well. We understand your concerns regarding the pending wire transfer from Chase Bank, and I want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process and resolve this matter as smoothly as possible.
As you mentioned, we have already initiated the process of obtaining the MT103 copy from Chase Bank, and we will forward it to you as discussed. We are aware of the estimated timeframe of 1-5 days for the wire to arrive in your account. We share your sentiment that it is crucial for the funds to be securely deposited into your account before any further actions are taken. The decision by BLACKLIST.aero to push for the release of the "case" to the market on Monday, 11/6/2023 by 1100 UTC without allowing sufficient time for the funds to be posted does indeed appear hasty and premature. It's important to emphasize that an action of this nature could potentially have irreversible consequences, and we strongly urge a more cautious approach to ensure that all parties involved can achieve a satisfactory resolution. We, too, believe that it is in everyone's best interest to ensure the successful transfer of the funds before proceeding with any additional steps.
Regarding the date of the wire, you are correct that the 11/2/2023 date exclusively pertains to the wire date and not to any other aspect of the transaction. We apologize for any confusion that may have arisen due to this misunderstanding. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to resolving this matter. As soon as we receive the MT103, we will be in a better position to determine the exact date of the funds' deposit. Rest assured, we remain committed to delivering the full balance along with the 15% penalty, as previously agreed upon.
Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding during this process. We are here to support you throughout this journey, and we look forward to finalizing this matter for your satisfaction».
However, this time no one believed Stefano and the case was published in the BLACKLIST.AERO registry. The only concession we agreed to was to postpone for several days the start of public and paralegal actions against UMBRA Holdings LLC.
And after a while Stefano sent SWIFT again. Which turned out to be fake this time too!
And what do you think happened next? That's right, our avid “gambler” raised the bet again, without feeling any shame about the real criminal offense which the forgery of financial documents is:
«I apologize for the repayment delay and sincerely value your debt collection efforts. Can we extend the deadline to December 2023? This extension will help me manage my finances and meet my commitments. I'll offer a 20% commission upon full repayment by December 2023 as a gesture of appreciation. 30 more days and all resolved!! Your understanding is crucial for a positive resolution. I kindly request no further escalation until my return to the E/U in December 2023. Your patience is greatly appreciated. Let's collaborate to reach the finish line. Please cease the online slander.
Let's work this together.
Stefano»
At the very beginning, when a case regarding the company UMBRA Holdings LLC appeared in the Register, we had immediately googled everything we could about this company. Moreover, the name seemed familiar. Indeed, most of the links were concerned the Italian company UMBRAGROUP S.p.A, well known in the MRO market https://www.umbragroup.com/.
This company was founded 50 years ago and is a prominent manufacturer of aircraft parts and components for both civil and military aircraft on the market. The group owns more than a dozen companies in Italy, Germany and the USA. So, it is a real holding.
At the MRO Europe exhibition in Amsterdam, we were able to meet with representatives of UMBRAGROUP S.p.A and find out whether the company of the same name from the USA has anything to do with them. Moreover, Stefano Luzzi Marcone is a clearly Italian name.
As one would expect, UMBRAGROUP S.p.A had no idea that a rather conventional twin was operating behind their back in the United States. In an official comment provided to the editors of BLACKLIST.AERO, the company stated the following:
«UMBRAGROUP designs and manufactures high-tech and precision components and is the world leader in ball screw technology for the aerospace sector. The Group is led by the parent company UMBRAGROUP S.pA., also known in the market as "UMBRA". Two of the companies that are part of the group are: UMBRA CUSCINETTI INC. and UGI HOLDING INC.
Although a very similar name this can generate a misunderstanding, please be aware and note that UMBRA HOLDING LLC is neither part nor affiliated in any form to UMBRAGROUP».
For more than a month of “communication” with Stefano, we have never been able to get through to the phone number officially listed on the site. Stefano explained this with various reasons, including “The staff is on training, everyone will be back soon,” etc.
Based on the analysis, we can claim that UMBRA HOLDINGS LLC is a “One man show”, a shady business establishment for committing fraudulent transactions. The editors intend to contact the Delaware State Police and the Federal Aviation Administration to begin an official investigation against STEFANO LUZZI MARCONE.
The editors of the BLACKLIST.AERO Registry ask all aviation market participants who has any information about this fraudster to provide it for further investigation.
P.S. When this article was being prepared for publication, the Registry administration began to receive information about other facts of STEFANO LUZZI MARCONE fraud. Apparently, fake SWIFTs are his “trick”. New cases will soon appear in the BLACKLIST.AERO Registry.
“What are you doing?! We all spent tens of thousands of dollars to attract attention to our companies at the exhibition, and you just by making one post on LinkedIn turn all the attention to yourself and these crooks whom you challenged to a battle! Now everyone is whispering only about it! Everyone has forgotten about the exhibition!”
This corporate conflict could have turned into a real war. Both sides appealed to BLACKLIST.AERO However, based on the circumstances of the conflict, we could not support either side.
Three months ago, I told a story about how fraudsters created a fake BLACKLIST.AERO page on X (former Twitter) with the goal of publishing any nonsense on it just to discredit our reputation. I laughed at this “innocent” idea and said that we need to prepare for much bigger provocations, using deepfake technology. And I was right!
The owner of UNITED AVIATION GROUP (South Africa) Jonathan Wolpe was arrested today in Johannesburg, as the editors of the Global Aviation Register of Defaulter companies BLACKLIST.AERO have just learnt.
