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A man from Russia was convicted of stowing away on a flight from Denmark to the west coast of the USA in November, despite not having a passport or ticket.
On November 4th, Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a Scandinavian Airlines flight 931 from Copenhagen.
US Customs and Border Protection officers were unable to locate Ochigava on the flight’s manifest or any other arriving international flights, as stated in a complaint filed on November 6 in a federal court in Los Angeles. The officials were perplexed by this situation.
The Independent was informed by a representative from Copenhagen Airport that a man entered without a proper ticket. The airport also shared photographic and video evidence with authorities who are currently looking into the situation.
Following a three-day court proceedings, Ochigava, age 46, was convicted by a jury of being a stowaway on an airplane. The US Department of Justice announced that he could potentially serve up to five years in federal prison when he is sentenced on February 5th.
During the trial, prosecutors provided proof that Ochigava gained access to a terminal at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark without a boarding pass by following closely behind an unaware passenger through a security turnstile. The following day, he successfully boarded the plane without being detected, according to prosecutors.
During the flight’s takeoff, the flight crew reported that Ochigava was sitting in a seat that was meant to be empty. After takeoff, he continued to move around the plane, changing seats and attempting to communicate with other passengers, who ignored him according to the filed complaint.
According to the complaint, he consumed two meals during each meal service and even tried to eat the chocolate that belonged to the cabin crew members.
In court documents, federal officials stated that during a bag search, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered what appeared to be Russian and Israeli identification cards. They also found a photograph on his phone that displayed a passport with his personal information, but not his picture.
According to the complaint, Ochigava provided inaccurate and deceptive details about his trip to the US, including initially informing CBP that he had left his US passport on the plane. The complaint also stated that he stated he had not slept for three days and was confused about the situation.
Additional reporting was provided by the Associated Press.
Source: independent.co.uk
