Nigerian Pilot, Olukayode Ojo set to serve five-year prison term for falsifying statements in US

A 36-year-old Nigerian named Olukayode Ojo is set to serve five years in prison in Texas. He was convicted of lying to get a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.

On Wednesday, it was reported that US District Judge Jodi Dishman had ordered him to be held until his sentencing.

US Attorney Robert Troester announced Ojo’s conviction on Monday via a statement on the FAA’s official website. Ojo was trying to get a medical certificate needed to fly a commercial passenger plane, which resulted in his conviction on August 16, 2024.

Troester mentioned that this case was part of an investigation by the Transportation Security Administration and was handled 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 possible five-year sentence in federal prison, plus fines that could total $250,000 for each offense.