June 17, 2008

Russian woman sentenced for interference with flight crew

BANGOR, Maine – United States Attorney Paula D. Silsby announced that Natalya Viktorovna Aksenova, 33, was sentenced on June 17, 2008, in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine, to 98 days imprisonment to be followed by 2 years supervised release, for the felony offense of interference with a flight crew.  She was also ordered to pay $17,392.00 in restitution to Delta Airlines.  United States Attorney Silsby praised the investigation conducted by ICE, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Safety Administration, Federal Air Marshals, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Bangor Police Department. 

Aksenova pleaded guilty on May 1, 2008.  Aksenova is a Russian citizen with Lawful Permanent Resident Status in the United States, who had been living in Brooklyn, New York.

According to court records, Aksenova was a passenger on a Delta Airlines flight that had departed from Moscow, Russia, on March 12, 2008, bound for JFK Airport in New York.  During the flight, Aksenova became intoxicated and unruly.  She pushed a flight attendant against a wall, refused to remain in her assigned seat, refused to move out of the aisle while food service was being delivered to other passengers, attempted to make cell phone calls in violation of federal regulations, and was verbally abusive to the flight attendants.  Based on Aksenova’s unruly behavior and intoxication, the captain made the decision to divert the plane for landing at the Bangor International Airport.

-- ICE --