Olukayode Ojo, a 36-year-old Nigerian, is facing a potential five-year prison sentence in Texas after being convicted of falsifying information to obtain a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Following his conviction, U.S. District Judge Jodi Dishman has ordered Ojo to remain in custody until his sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Robert Troester announced the conviction on Monday in a statement posted on the FAA’s official website. Ojo was found guilty on August 16, 2024, of attempting to obtain a medical certificate necessary for piloting a commercial passenger aircraft.
The case, which was part of an investigation conducted by Transportation Security Administration—Investigations, was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson Eldridge and Matt Dillon.
He said, “On June 4, 2024, a federal jury returned a two-count superseding indictment against Ojo, charging him with two counts of making a false statement. On August 16, 2024, a federal jury found Ojo guilty on both counts.
“Evidence presented at trial indicated that Ojo, an FAA-certified commercial airline pilot, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour theft charges on February 8, 2023, in Kentucky state court in connection with a theft of passenger luggage from the baggage carousels at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
“Ojo then made false statements to the FAA in March 2023 and March 2024 while applying for an FAA First Class Medical Certificate to conceal his history of prior criminal convictions. A First Class Medical Certificate permits an airman to pilot commercial passenger aircraft.”
The convict faces a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison, along with fines of up to $250,000 for each count.
