August 29, (THEWILL) – A Nigerian pilot, Olukayode Aduragbenro Ojo, has been convicted for lying on his medical certificate application in the United States.
The 36-year-old Dallas resident was convicted of two counts concerning a false statement, he tendered before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to obtain a medical certificate necessary to pilot a commercial passenger aircraft.
In a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Robert J. Troester, said, Ojo faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
It reads in part, “A federal jury has convicted OLUKAYODE ADURAGBENRO OJO, 36, of Dallas, TX, of two counts of making a false statement to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to obtain a medical certificate necessary to pilot a commercial passenger aircraft.
“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.
“Following the guilty verdict, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman, ordered Ojo to be detained pending sentencing, where he faces up to five years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000.00 on each count.”
