Fake call signs, insurance fraud lands pilot Josh Hoch back in Townsville court

A North Queensland pilot who defrauded the government of hundreds of thousands of dollars also used fake call signs to try and get people he disliked charged for his landing fees, a court has heard.

Josh Hoch is due to be released from jail on November 15, 2024.

A North Queensland pilot who defrauded the government of hundreds of thousands of dollars also used fake call signs to try and get people he disliked charged for his landing fees, a court has heard.

With just months left until he’s due to be released from the Townsville Correctional Centre’s low-security prison farm, 38-year-old Josh Hoch found himself back before the Townsville District Court this week.

The court heard Hoch has been in custody for about 18 months and is due to be released on November 15 this year after he was previously convicted of state and commonwealth fraud-related offences involving around $370,000 and over 96 invoices over a period of about four years (November 2011-December 2015).

He pleaded guilty to two fraud charges when he appeared in court before Judge Michael Byrne KC on Thursday via video link.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Lowrie said the first charge involved Hoch making a false insurance claim for reportedly stolen avionics equipment, which he actually sold to another person in September 2014.

The court heard he received $18,500 for that equipment from Allianz Australia.

Josh Hoch (right).

The second fraud offence involved Hoch using false call signs on 11 separate occasions so his aircraft would not be properly identified while landing at regional airports between June and December 2016.

“Part of the motivation for using the false call sign seems to have been to have people he’d had a disagreement with charged for his landing at remote airports,” Judge Michael Byrne KC said.

“But the authorities were on to him, and in a number of the instances … they just charged him for it anyway.”

The court heard that, ultimately, the amount unpaid was only about $156.

Defence barrister Michael Hibble said the totality of the offending took place around the same time as his previous matters and asked the judge to consider a sentence that did not interfere with his current November 15 release date.

He said Hoch was a qualified mechanic and intended to return to that field upon his release.

The court heard he will return to his family and remote property located about three hours from Emerald.

Judge Michael Byrne KC said the two charges didn’t add greatly to the criminality of his other matters. He sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, suspended on November 15, 2024. Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Fake call signs, insurance fraud lands pilot Josh Hoch back in Townsville court