A Russian man who managed to fly from Denmark to Los Angeles International Airport in late 2023 without a ticket was found guilty by a jury of federal crimes on Friday.
Sergei Ochigaba, 46, who held both Russian and Israeli passports, was found guilty in Los Angeles federal court of one count of: being a stowaway After completing the three-day exam, I boarded the plane. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During the trial, prosecutors said that on November 3 at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, Ochigaba tailgated an unsuspecting passenger through a security gate and entered one of the airport’s terminals without a boarding pass. I submitted proof that I was able to enter.
The next day, November 4, Ochigaba passed through the boarding gate unnoticed by airport staff and boarded a Scandinavian Airlines flight to LAX. He moved from unassigned seat to seat on the plane and was noticed by flight attendants.
When the plane landed in Los Angeles on November 4, a Customs and Border Protection official spoke to him at the immigration checkpoint. They were unable to find any records for Ochigaba and discovered that he was not listed as a passenger on the Scandinavian Airlines flight or any other flight.
According to trial testimony, he failed to provide investigators with a passport, visa or any other type of travel document that would allow him to enter the United States.
Investigators say the suspect provided “false and misleading” information about how he arrived in the United States, including that he had “just left his passport on the plane.”
He has been in federal custody since his arrest upon arrival at LAX.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 5th.