Olukayode Ojo, a 36-year-old Nigerian pilot, is facing a five-year prison sentence in Texas after being found guilty of making false statements to obtain a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The conviction was announced on Monday by U.S. Attorney Robert Troester, with U.S. District Judge Jodi Dishman ordering Ojo’s detention until his sentencing.
Ojo’s conviction stems from his attempts to secure a medical certificate required for piloting a commercial passenger aircraft. According to the prosecution, Ojo provided false information to the FAA in March 2023 and March 2024 to conceal his prior criminal convictions. Specifically, he had pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor theft charges in February 2023 related to the theft of passenger luggage from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The pilot, who is FAA-certified to fly commercial aircraft, was charged with two counts of making false statements in a superseding indictment returned by a federal jury on June 4, 2024. He was found guilty on both counts on August 16, 2024.
Ojo now faces up to five years in federal prison, along with fines of up to $250,000 for each count. The case was part of an investigation by the Transportation Security Administration—Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson Eldridge and Matt Dillon.
