If convicted, Mr Ochigava could be imprisoned for up to five years
In a bizarre incident, a Russian man flew to the US without a passport or a ticket and managed only to get caught when he arrived in Los Angeles, NBC News reported. According to court documents, Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava, a Russian-Israeli dual national, departed Copenhagen on a Scandinavian Airlines flight and landed at Los Angeles International Airport on November 4. He had no passport or visa, and officials also couldn’t find him on the passenger list for any flights.
“When questioned, Ochigava gave false and misleading information about his travel to the United States, including initially telling CBP that he left his passport on the airplane,” an affidavit said.
According to the flight crew, most of them noticed Mr Ochigava on the flight, saying that he wandered around the plane and kept changing his seat. He allegedly asked for two meals during each meal service, and at one point attempted to eat the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew.
When officials searched his bag, they found what appeared to be Russian and Israeli identification cards, but no passport.
A Copenhagen Airport spokesperson told The Independent, ”We can see from our surveillance that he has entered without a valid ticket. Copenhagen Airport has provided photo and video material to the authorities who are investigating the case. We take the matter very seriously, and it will be included in the work we continuously do to adjust and tighten our guidelines to improve security.”
The mysterious case is now being investigated by the FBI. As per Fox News, an agent confirmed that the suspect, who has been charged with stowing away on an aircraft, is being held in custody.
FBI Agent Caroline Walling, who filed the complaint, shared details from an interview with Ochigava on November 5. The suspect said he was confused, had not slept for three days, and couldn’t remember how he boarded a plane without a ticket, boarding pass, or passport.
”Ochigava had a Ph. D in economics and marketing. He last worked as an economist in Russia a long time ago. He claimed he had not been sleeping for three days and did not understand what was going on. Ochigava stated he might have had a plane ticket to come to the United States, but he was not sure,” Ms Walling wrote.
“He did not remember how he got on the plane in Copenhagen. He also would not explain how or when he got to Copenhagen or what he was doing there. When asked how he got through security in Copenhagen, Ochigava claimed he did not remember how he went through security without a ticket,” she added.
Mr Ochigava is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles and is expected to be in court later this month. If convicted, Mr Ochigava could be imprisoned for up to five years, according to the US Code.