Russian Man Guilty of Being a Stowaway on Denmark-Los Angeles Flight

Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Jan 2, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A Russian man who boarded a Denmark-to-Los Angeles flight without a ticket last year was found guilty Jan. 26 of being a stowaway.

Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava, 46, faces a possible five-year federal prison sentence for the crime, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release.

He has been in custody since his Nov. 4 arrest at Los Angeles International Airport.

The previous day, Mr. Ochigava managed to enter a Copenhagen Airport terminal without a boarding pass by following another passenger through a security checkpoint.

On Nov. 4, he slipped through a boarding gate and found a seat on a Scandinavian Airlines flight to Los Angeles.

According to the news release, the cabin crew noticed Mr. Ochigava because he occupied several unassigned seats during the flight.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers met him at LAX and found that he was not listed as a passenger on any incoming flight. He had no passport or visa to enter.

Customs officers questioned Mr. Ochigava but said he gave false answers.

His sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 5.