Russian-Israeli citizen Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava, who is in his mid-40s, was apprehended by the police upon his arrival in the United States on a flight from Denmark on November 4.
According to reports, Ochigava showed up at LAX without his passport, ticket, or memory of boarding the plane. The fact that the individual was missing from the aircraft manifest adds another layer of strangeness to the case, suggesting he could have been a stowaway. But in court papers filed by the FBI, it is said that Ochigava tried to strike up discussions with other passengers, walked about the aircraft, and asked for two meals at each meal service.
The United States Criminal Code makes it unlawful to board an aircraft without the owner’s authorization; he is now facing accusations of breaching this clause.
Ochigava said he boarded the plane without remembering why or how since he hadn’t slept in three days. His apparent ease of passage through the Danish security system, which necessitates aircraft check-in, ticket checks, and subsequent security gates, is another mystery surrounding this case. Upon searching his belongings, the police reportedly found that Ochigava had partial Israeli ID cards and passports. The police were unable to find any results when they ran his name. During an interview with the bureau, the FBI claims that Ochigava boasted about his Ph.D. in economics and marketing from a Russian institution.
Ochigava informed a Customs and Border Protection checkpoint officer that he had left his passport on the aircraft when the jet arrived in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, the airline failed to detect any passports in that location. While searching Ochigava’s suitcase, officers discovered a Russian identity card but did not find the international passport necessary to enter the United States.
Although Ochigava had an Israeli identity card, there was no indication that he had applied for the electronic travel permit required for Israelis to enter the United States.
