Jakarta –
US punishes Russian man who flew to LA without passport. He faces up to five years in prison.
Citing BBC, Sunday (28/1/2024), a Russian man boarded a plane from Denmark to Los Angeles last November without a ticket, passport or visa. Now, he has been found guilty by a US federal court of being a stowaway.
Sergey Ochigava, 46, was convicted by a jury in a California court on Friday. Officers arrested Ochigava at LA airport after they could find no record that he had booked a flight or applied for a visa.
He has been in custody since November, and faces up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors said that Ochigava managed to get through security at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark, without a boarding pass by following a passenger through a turnstile.
The next day, he passed through the departure gate undetected and boarded a Scandinavian Airlines flight to Los Angeles.
According to Ochigava’s charging documents, cabin crew members were aware of his presence on the plane because he was moving around in his seat.
“He also asked for two meals at each meal service, and at one point tried to eat a cabin crew member’s chocolate,” he said.
“He tried to talk to other passengers on the flight, but most of the passengers ignored him,” he added.
Ochigava was met by US border agents when the plane landed in LA on November 4. Agents were unable to find any official record of him on the Scandinavian Airlines flight or any other flight.
He was also unable to produce a visa, passport or other travel documents required to enter the US. After searching the bag, officers found Russian and Israeli identity cards.
Officials accused him of providing false and misleading information about his trip to the United States, including initially telling border agents that he had forgotten his passport on the plane.
“Ochigava told border agents that he might have a plane ticket, but was not sure,” according to his indictment.
He also said that he did not remember how he got on the plane, and claimed that he had not slept for three days. Ochigava will be formally sentenced on February 5.
Watch the video “Filling your vacation on Tinalapu Island with exciting COV-style games, Central Sulawesi”
(msl/fem)
2024-01-28 08:17:18
#Punishes #Russian #Man #Flew #PassportVisa
