LAX sign at Los Angeles International Airport
A 46-year-old man was found guilty Friday of being a stowaway on an aircraft destined for LAX from Denmark without documentation or a plane ticket.
Sergey Ochigava, 46, who holds both Russian and Israeli passports will face a sentence that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Evidence presented at a three-day trial showed that on Nov. 3, 2023 Ochigava was able to hitch himself to an unsuspecting passenger through a security turnstile at Copenhagen Airport without a boarding pass.
The next day, he passed through the boarding gate on board a Scandinavian Airlines flight with a destination to Los Angeles.
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The flight crew members of flight SK 9131 made note of bizarre behavior from the stowaway as he changed seats throughout the trip and even attempted to eat chocolate that belonged to the crew.
Ochigava arrived at LAX, and officers at the immigration checkpoint were unable to find any record of the Russian stowaway being on the flight manifest.
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When asked by Customs and Borders Protection officers, he was unable to provide a passport, visa, or any document for his travel to the U.S.
The FBI and CBP along with assistance from Copenhagen Airport Police investigated the case. United States District Judge George H. Wu scheduled a Feb. 5 sentencing for Ochigava.
