Russian who arrived on L.A. flight without the need of passport, ticket charged

LOS ANGELES –

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A Russian gentleman who flew on a airplane from Denmark to Los Angeles in November devoid of a passport or ticket informed U.S. authorities he failed to keep in mind how he received by stability in Europe, according to a federal grievance submitted by the FBI.

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Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles Intercontinental Airport on Nov. 4 via Scandinavian Airlines flight 931 from Copenhagen. A U.S. Customs and Border Safety officer could not obtain Ochigava on the flight manifest or any other incoming global flights, in accordance to the criticism submitted Nov. 6 in Los Angeles federal courtroom.

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He was charged with remaining a stowaway on an aircraft and pleaded not guilty in a Dec. 5 arraignment. A demo was scheduled for Dec. 26. A federal public defender symbolizing Ochigava, who remained in custody Tuesday, did not straight away return a cellular phone information from The Related Press seeking comment.

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The flight crew advised investigators that all through the flight’s departure, Ochigava was in a seat that was intended to be unoccupied. Immediately after departure, he kept wandering about the aircraft, switching seats and hoping to communicate to other passengers, who disregarded him, according to the complaint.

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He also ate “two meals for the duration of just about every food company, and at 1 stage attempted to take in the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew,” the criticism suggests.

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Ochigava did not have a passport or visa to enter the United States, officers claimed. Customs and Border Protection officers searched his bag and uncovered what “appeared to be Russian identification cards and an Israeli identification card,” federal officials stated in court documents. They also found in his cell phone a photograph that partly confirmed a passport containing his identify, day of beginning, and a passport amount but not his photograph, they said.

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Ochigava “gave untrue and deceptive data about his vacation to the United States, like at first telling CBP that he left his U.S. passport on the plane,” the complaint says.

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Scandinavian Airways confirmed that “there has been a problem pertaining to a passenger” on a flight from Copenhagen to the United States. “The make a difference is remaining managed by relevant authorities equally in U.S. and Denmark and we can’t remark any more,” the airline stated in a created statement.

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Ochigava explained to FBI agents that he has a doctorate in economics and marketing and that he experienced last labored as an economist in Russia.

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“Ochigava claimed he had not been sleeping for a few days and did not have an understanding of what was likely on,” the complaint explained.

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He advised officials he might have experienced a plane ticket to arrive to the United States, but he was not confident. He also said he did not remember how he acquired by security in Copenhagen and wouldn’t explain what he was carrying out in the Scandinavian town, in accordance to the complaint.