Russian man found guilty of being a stowaway after boarding flight from Denmark to LAX without ticket

A Russian man who was able to fly from Denmark to Los Angeles International Airport without a ticket in late 2023 was convicted of a federal crime by a jury on Friday. 

Sergey Ochigava, 46, who had both Russian and Israeli passports, was found guilty in a Los Angeles federal court on one count of being a stowaway on an aircraft after a three-day trial. The crime carries a sentence of up to five years of jail time, according to the United States Attorney's Office. 

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that showed Ochigava tailgating an unsuspecting passenger through a security turnstile at the Copenhagen Airport in Denmark on Nov. 3, which allowed him access to one of the airport's terminals without a boarding pass. 

The following day, Nov. 4, Ochigava passed through a boarding gate undetected by airport personnel, where he then found his way aboard a Scandinavian Airlines flight to LAX. He was noticed by the plane's cabin crew because he moved from seat to seat on the flight, which were unassigned. 

When the flight landed in LA on Nov. 4, he was approached by Customs and Border Protection officers at the immigration checkpoint. They were unable to find record of Ochigava, discovering that he was not listed as a passenger on the Scandinavian Airlines flight or any other flight. 

He was unable to provide investigators with a passport, visa or any type of travel document allowing him to enter the United States, according to testimony from the trial. 

Investigators say that he gave "false and misleading" information about how he arrived in the US, including telling them that he had just left his passport on the plane. 

He has been in federal custody since his arrival and arrest at LAX. 

A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 5.