A man from Houston is now facing serious legal trouble after allegedly using a fake boarding pass to get onto a United Airlines flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This incident, which occurred on May 18, led the plane to return to the gate, as per court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The individual, identified as Abdulrahman Oluwatumike Oriyomi, 25, has been formally charged with disrupting the operation of critical infrastructure. This charge stems from the criminal complaint filed in Harris County.
Prosecutors have requested a $25,000 bond, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. They highlighted that the flight, carrying a full load of passengers, was delayed by about three hours. The incident also necessitated responses from various agencies, including the Houston Police Department, the FBI, Houston Airports, and the Transportation Security Administration.
“The Defendant delayed a flight for 3 hours with a full plane,” prosecutors stated in their motion, as reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The complaint details that Oriyomi entered Bush Airport, successfully passed through a TSA checkpoint, and then attempted to board a flight heading to Los Angeles.
Investigators claim Oriyomi initially tried to scan a boarding pass at one gate without success. He then moved through the airport to another gate, where United employees were in the process of verifying passengers’ boarding passes.
The complaint alleges Oriyomi waited until airline employees were distracted before proceeding down the jetway and boarding United Flight 469.
A passenger told investigators Oriyomi initially sat next to her before moving around the aircraft. The witness later realized the seat had already been assigned to another passenger, according to the complaint.
The aircraft had already begun taxiing away from the gate when flight attendants were notified that someone was inside a restroom on board.
Flight attendants eventually made contact with Oriyomi and determined he did not have an assigned seat on the flight.
A flight attendant later checked the passenger manifest and allegedly discovered no authorized passenger was listed under the name Oriyomi had provided.
The plane returned to the gate, prompting a response from multiple law enforcement and security agencies.
Investigators later reviewed a boarding pass image recovered from Oriyomi’s phone and determined it appeared fraudulent because key information and a QR code were missing, the complaint states. A Bush Airport representative concluded the document was fake, according to the filing.
Investigators determined Oriyomi could not have obtained a valid boarding pass without first paying for his reservation, according to court records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Prosecutors also requested several bond conditions, according to court records reviewed by Fox News Digital, including surrendering any passports or travel documents, avoiding Bush Intercontinental Airport and other airports, refraining from possessing firearms and submitting to electronic monitoring if ordered by the court.
It was not immediately clear whether all requested bond conditions were ultimately imposed.
Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital did not immediately identify an attorney representing Oriyomi.
United Airlines, Houston Airports and the Transportation Security Administration did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
The case is pending in Harris County’s 180th District Court.
