Man faces stowaway charges after airport arrest

[July 09, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A federal grand jury on Friday indicted a Nigerian American man on stowaway charges after authorities say he breached multiple layers of airport security and got on a cross-country flight with an expired boarding pass.

Oluwaseun Noibi, 24, was charged with one count of being a stowaway as well as one count of attempting to enter a secure area of an airport by fraud or false pretense. If convicted of both counts, Noibi could face up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Noibi, who remains in custody, is scheduled to be arraigned on July 18.

Deputy federal public defender Carl Gunn declined comment because he hadn't seen the indictment.

Authorities said Noibi boarded a flight in New York on June 24 using an expired boarding pass with someone else's name on it. The Virgin America crew didn't realize until mid-flight that an extra passenger was onboard in a premium seat that was supposed to be empty.

After arriving in Los Angeles and spending several days in the city, Noibi was arrested for attempting to board a Delta Air Lines flight with another expired pass.

Noibi told federal investigators he was able to go through security screening in Los Angeles by presenting a boarding pass, his student identification and a police report that said his U.S. passport had been stolen, according to court documents.

It was unclear how Noibi skirted security in New York.

[Associated Press]

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