Man boards LA-bound United flight at Houston airport with fake boarding pass

A 25-year-old man used a fake boarding pass to board a United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on May 18, causing a three-hour delay before law enforcement removed him from the aircraft, authorities said.

The case raises questions about document verification at U.S. airport security checkpoints and is drawing scrutiny across Southern California, where the United Airlines aircraft was headed before the standoff on the tarmac.

Abdulrahman Oriyomi, 25, cleared a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on May 18 and boarded a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles using what authorities describe as a fraudulent boarding pass, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The TSA said in a statement that "the individual in question presented a valid boarding pass at George Bush Intercontinental Airport" — a characterization that appeared to conflict with the fraud allegation from other law enforcement agencies.

Security footage reviewed by investigators captured Oriyomi clearing the checkpoint and proceeding to the gate before boarding the plane, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Once aboard, he concealed himself in a lavatory as the aircraft taxied away from the gate. When flight attendants confronted him, he gave them a false name.

Law enforcement officers questioned Oriyomi on the aircraft, during which he caused a disturbance. The confrontation held the flight for three hours before the situation was resolved, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Authorities initially gave Oriyomi a trespass warning and released him from the scene. He was arrested at a later date following additional investigation into the incident. His bond was set at $15,000.

At a Monday court hearing, a judge maintained the $15,000 bond and ordered Oriyomi to wear an ankle monitor. He was also restricted to Harris County and surrounding counties, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Oriyomi's attorney said his client believed he had purchased a discounted airline ticket and was unaware the boarding pass was fraudulent, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The attorney described the incident as a misunderstanding.

No trial date was announced at Monday's hearing. The investigation remains ongoing.