Summary

On April 22, 2013, Kenneth W. Smith was sentenced in US District Court, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in connection with his plea to calling in a hoax regarding the presence of explosives to airport authorities in September 2012.  The Court sentenced Smith to 15 months incarceration and ordered him to pay restitution of $17,390, and to serve 300 hours of community service.

Smith admitted that on September 6, 2012, he contacted the Philadelphia Police and falsely reported that a US Airways passenger en route to Texas possessed an explosive material with the intent to pass through security and board the aircraft. By the time the alleged false report was received, the aircraft had departed.  FAA air traffic controllers rerouted the flight in question back to PHL where the passenger was removed from the aircraft, searched, and questioned. No explosive materials were found.  The paid restitution will be distributed among USAir and the on board passengers. 

We investigated this case jointly with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.