Russian-Israeli man who tailgated passenger to LA convicted

A Russian-Israeli man who tailgated a passenger onto a flight from Denmark to California has been discovered responsible of being a stowaway. 

Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava, 46, faces as much as 5 years in jail for boarding a airplane from Copenhagen to Los Angeles on November 4 with out a passport or ticket.

Jurors discovered Ochigava responsible of the federal crime of being a stowaway on an plane following a three-day trial, the US Department of Justice mentioned. 

The suspicious passenger managed to board a Scandinavian Airlines flight with none paperwork – however was busted by flight attendants after switching between a number of unassigned seats and consuming chocolate belonging to cabin crew. 

Prosecutors offered proof on the trial displaying Ochigava coming into a terminal at Copenhagen Airport by tailgating an unsuspecting passenger by means of a safety turnstile on November 3. 

Sergey Ochigava managed to board a flight from Copenhagen to LAX with no ticket or passport after ‘tailgating’ passengers by means of safety and the gate, investigators say

He initially advised investigators he was ‘unsure’ how he made it onto the plane

The subsequent day, he managed to board a airplane undetected. But flight attendants grew suspicious after realizing his seat was speculated to be unoccupied, and alerted investigators. 

After departure, Ochigava stored wandering across the airplane, switching seats and making an attempt to speak to different passengers, who ignored him, based on a criticism filed November 6 in Los Angeles federal courtroom. 

He additionally ate ‘two meals throughout every meal service, and at one level tried to eat the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew,’ the criticism mentioned. 

Customs and Border Protection officers searched his bag and located what ‘seemed to be Russian identification playing cards and an Israeli identification card,’ federal officers mentioned in courtroom paperwork. 

They present in his cellphone {a photograph} that partially confirmed a passport containing his title, date of start and a passport quantity however not his {photograph}, they mentioned. 

Ochigava ‘gave false and deceptive details about his journey to the United States, together with initially telling CBP that he left his U.S. passport on the airplane,’ based on the criticism. 

The doc added that he ‘claimed he had not been sleeping for 3 days and didn’t perceive what was occurring.’ 

Ochigava made it by means of safety however was nabbed by border police who seized his paperwork and ordered him to stay within the terminal 

He tried to board flights to London and Bangkok earlier than making it aboard the SAS flight to LAX

The twin Russian-Israeli nationwide is being held on the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles till his sentencing scheduled February 5.

Earlier within the investigation into Ochigava, particulars emerged suggesting safety failures may have allowed him regardless of having no passport or ticket. 

He was picked up by border drive workers at Copenhagan Airport who found he had overstayed on his Israeli passport and had no visas in his Russian one.

Ochigava had his paperwork seized and was ordered to stay within the terminal. Except he failed to take action, making an attempt to board a number of flights to Bangkok and London.

Eventually, he got here to the gate of flight SK 931 the place he allegedly boarded the flight to LA once more by tailgating a passenger.

And after they had been later quizzed by the FBI, airline workers mentioned ‘nothing appeared amiss’ with Ochigava, though he had moved seats a number of instances throughout the flight. 

He was not on the manifest for the flight SK 931, nor was he on the passenger listing of another worldwide flight.

FBI officer, Caroline Walling mentioned workers didn’t detect there was a further passenger onboard as though they counted passengers in every part to examine the airplane was balanced, they didn’t tally them up or examine it towards the flight log. 

When the flight arrived at LAX, Ochigava disembarked as regular and offered at customs.