Man sentenced for alcoholic air rant

The sentence of 10 months in a federal prison and a $2,867 fine has been handed down to 27-year old Jose Roman of Alvin, Texas, who made death threats to airline staff on June 28th last year.

Roman was on a JetBlue flight from Houston to New York and had been drinking heavily when the flight attendant cut him off. Enraged at being refused more booze, Roman proceeded on a drunken rant that ended in death threats to crewmembers. The plane was diverted to Buffalo due to his disturbance, and even after being escorted off the plane, Roman continued to beleaguer staff, threatening to shoot them.

He was arrested by the FBI and was sentenced in Buffalo on Tuesday by US magistrate judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge for interfering with an air crew. Assistant US Attorney James P. Kennedy says, “I hope this case sends a message that this kind of conduct is taken very seriously by the airlines and by the government.”

Public defender Kimberly Schechter spoke on Roman’s behalf, saying, “He recognizes that he has an alcohol problem, and he’s working on it.”

www.jetblue.com