Houston Man Charged with Felony After Sneaking onto LA-Bound Flight Using Counterfeit Ticket🤯
A 25-year-old Houston, Texas man is facing felony charges after authorities allege he used a counterfeit boarding pass to board a flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in May, later being discovered on the aircraft as it was taxiing away from the gate.
Authorities say Abdulrahman Oluwatumike Oriyomi entered the airport on May 18 and cleared TSA and security screening at Terminal C. He then allegedly tried to scan a fraudulent boarding pass at a departure gate but was unsuccessful. Investigators say he later moved through the airport, found a United Airlines gate, and took advantage of distracted gate agents to board United Flight 469 to Los Angeles without being stopped.
Oriyomi hid in the restroom for a while, and a witness also told police she saw him seated near her assigned seat before he moved around the plane, later learning the seat he tried to occupy had been purchased by another passenger. Flight attendants were then alerted to someone inside a lavatory while the aircraft was taxiing. Crew confronted Oriyomi and determined he had no assigned seat, prompting the plane to return to the gate, where Houston Police and federal authorities were waiting.
Investigators later said the boarding pass in his possession showed inconsistencies with legitimate tickets, including missing flight details and the standard QR code used for scanning.
The aircraft was met by local police, the FBI, and explosive detection canine units upon returning to the terminal, resulting in a three-hour delay for passengers.
Oriyomi was arrested charged with a felony count of impairing or interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility. Bail was set at $25,000. The incident has raised concerns about multiple layers of security being breached. He is set to appear in court on Monday.
Neither United Airlines nor TSA has publicly commented on the incident.
This security lapse follows a string of similar incidents, including a woman convicted of bypassing security at Newark Liberty International Airport twice to board international flights without a ticket, passport, or visa.
#ShoutOut to Houston🔥
