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James Tyqwon Ford, 31, admitted to the charges this week 4 in federal court following an incident that played out in May 2023 on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico back to New York.
According to court documents, Ford became disruptive shortly after takeoff, using profanity and making lewd comments to flight attendants after they announced that personal alcohol consumption was prohibited on the plane.
Ford later escalated the situation by becoming disruptive, being disrespectful toward to and using profanity against the flight crew.
Prosecutors say that a flight attendant advised Ford that cursing at the crew is not tolerated, reiterated that he could not consume personal alcohol aboard the aircraft, and notified him that law enforcement would be called when the flight landed.
"Ford responded with additional lewd comments and stated that the police would have to catch him first," they added.
The disruptive passenger then made his way to the back of the plane, approached another flight attendant, making physical threats against one, including that he wished to punch her in the face and shoot her.
Passengers reported feeling unsafe as Ford threatened to “tear the plane apart” and warned that his friends in New York would “destroy” the flight crew.
At one point, his wife tried to take a bottle of Hennessy from him, sparking an altercation that required other passengers to intervene, court documents state.
The chaos led the pilot to divert the flight to Richmond, where law enforcement met the aircraft and removed Ford.
Ford is scheduled to be sentenced in April 2025.
He faces up to 20 years in prison, though federal sentences are typically less than the maximum penalties.
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