Eleven suspects face federal charges after allegedly flying drones in banned zones during the FIFA World Cup in Houston, Texas.
All 11 suspects were charged with “Violation of National Defense Airspace” in the Southern District of Texas, according to a statement by FBI Houston to The Epoch Times on July 9.
At least four of the suspects are Houston-area residents, including 26-year-old John Alexander Meza, 38-year-old Jordan Lee Zale, 30-year-old Huu An Nguyen Dinh, and 34-year-old Patrick Phillip Heer.
The FBI said Dinh separately received a warning from local police before being accused of a federal charge.
If convicted, suspects may have to pay up to $100,000 in fines for violating the Temporary Flight Restriction zone established between June 9 through July 19 in the east downtown area near locations such as the FIFA World Cup matches, Fan Fest, and related events, according to FBI Houston.
Since the tournament with a global spotlight kicked off in mid-June, the FBI said the agency and its partners have seized 44 drones in Houston.
Houston was one of 16 host cities picked for the FIFA World Cup, hosting seven games total, including two games in the knockout phase.
FBI Houston separately revealed on July 1 that it stepped in to protect a European teenager from online enticement, which is when a person uses the internet to communicate with a child with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction.
“While visiting Houston for World Cup events, a European 15-year-old girl was allegedly enticed online by an adult to travel from Texas to Illinois,” FBI Houston wrote in a Facebook post.
“FBI Houston rapidly responded with advanced investigative and technological resources that guided local law enforcement to locate and safely reunite the girl with her family.”
Officials in other parts of the nation have been on guard during the tournament.
Dozens of drones have been seized in Atlanta during FIFA World Cup events, in addition to the arrest of a twice-deported illegal immigrant from Mexico who had a prior cocaine distribution conviction.
Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez, 37, faces federal charges for allegedly flying a drone over the FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta on June 12 and for illegally reentering the country after being deported twice.
“Unauthorized drone operations in restricted airspace present a serious risk to public safety, particularly during major international events such as the FIFA World Cup,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a press release on June 15.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have confiscated more than 600 flying devices from no-drone areas across the nation since the FIFA World Cup started.
“The FBI has stepped up and really led the way in a lot of the effort here in keeping this World Cup safe, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of War as well,” White House Task Force Executive Director Andrew Giuliani said on July 8.
