Russian Man Who Flew to Los Angeles Without Passport Charged as Stowaway

Travelers wait in line to check in for flights at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

A Russian man who apparently flew from Europe to California without a passport is now facing a federal charge as a stowaway.

On Nov. 4, Sergey Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen, Denmark, without a passport, according to a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court Nov. 6.