Olukayode Ojo, a 36-year-old Nigerian pilot, has been convicted of making false statements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is facing a potential five-year federal prison sentence along with fines up to $250,000 for each count.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, Robert Troester, announced the conviction on August 26, 2024. Ojo was found guilty of two counts of making false statements while trying to obtain a First Class Medical Certificate, which is essential for piloting commercial passenger aircraft.
The trial, conducted in the U.S. District Court, revealed that Ojo had previously been convicted of two misdemeanour theft charges related to the theft of passenger luggage at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He had concealed these convictions in his FAA certificate application in 2023 and 2024.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson Eldridge and Matt Dillon, with the investigation led by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Following the guilty verdict, U.S. District Judge Jodi Dishman ordered Ojo’s detention, though the exact sentence is yet to be determined.