New York man faces decades in prison for forcing flight to divert to Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A New York man whose disruptive behavior and threats forced a plane to divert to Richmond last spring faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday. That behavior included saying he would punch and shoot people and threats to "tear the plane apart." On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 31-year-old James Tyqwon Ford of New York pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This charge stems from his reportedly drunken and abusive behavior during a nonstop fight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to New York on May 13, 2023. According to court documents, prior to the flight's first beverage service, flight attendants noticed an odor of alcohol in the aircraft. They proceeded to remind those on board that consuming personal alcohol on the plane was prohibited. Two Virginia men sentenced for trafficking meth, machineguns In response, Ford reportedly became disruptive and disrespectful towards the crew, cursing at them. According to court documents, a flight attendant told Ford that cursing at the crew would not be tolerated and reiterated the rule about alcohol. They added that law enforcement would be called when the flight arrived in New York. Ford responded with "lewd comments" and said "the police would have to catch him first," according to the DOJ. Later, Ford reportedly walked to the rear galley of the plane, approached another flight attendant and made threats about the first flight attendant, saying he wished he could punch her in the face and shoot her. Multiple passengers reported Ford's conduct to crew members, sharing that he was making them fear for their safety. They told staff he was making lewd comments, claiming he brought a firearm aboard the plane and that he'd said he would "tear the plane apart," according to the DOJ. At one point, Ford's wife -- who was not named by the DOJ -- attempted to take a bottle of Hennessy from him. This led to an altercation, where other passengers had to separate the two so she could escape to another part of the plane. City of Richmond ‘mismanaged’ streetlight project, resulting in at least $1.2 million in discrepancies, audit finds Lastly, Ford returned to the rear galley and threatened to have his friends in New York follow crew members to their hotel and "destroy them," according to the DOJ. This behavior resulted in the flight having to divert from its intended New York destination and instead land in Richmond. According to the DOJ, law enforcement officers met the flight when it arrived and removed Ford from the plane. Ford will be sentenced on April 2, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison -- however, actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than their maximum penalties, per the DOJ.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A New York man whose disruptive behavior and threats forced a plane to divert to Richmond last spring faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday. That behavior included saying he would punch and shoot people and threats to "tear the plane apart."
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 31-year-old James Tyqwon Ford of New York pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
This charge stems from his reportedly drunken and abusive behavior during a nonstop fight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to New York on May 13, 2023.
According to court documents, prior to the flight's first beverage service, flight attendants noticed an odor of alcohol in the aircraft. They proceeded to remind those on board that consuming personal alcohol on the plane was prohibited.
Two Virginia men sentenced for trafficking meth, machineguns
In response, Ford reportedly became disruptive and disrespectful towards the crew, cursing at them. According to court documents, a flight attendant told Ford that cursing at the crew would not be tolerated and reiterated the rule about alcohol. They added that law enforcement would be called when the flight arrived in New York.
Ford responded with "lewd comments" and said "the police would have to catch him first," according to the DOJ.
Later, Ford reportedly walked to the rear galley of the plane, approached another flight attendant and made threats about the first flight attendant, saying he wished he could punch her in the face and shoot her.
Multiple passengers reported Ford's conduct to crew members, sharing that he was making them fear for their safety. They told staff he was making lewd comments, claiming he brought a firearm aboard the plane and that he'd said he would "tear the plane apart," according to the DOJ.
At one point, Ford's wife -- who was not named by the DOJ -- attempted to take a bottle of Hennessy from him. This led to an altercation, where other passengers had to separate the two so she could escape to another part of the plane.
Lastly, Ford returned to the rear galley and threatened to have his friends in New York follow crew members to their hotel and "destroy them," according to the DOJ.
This behavior resulted in the flight having to divert from its intended New York destination and instead land in Richmond. According to the DOJ, law enforcement officers met the flight when it arrived and removed Ford from the plane.
Ford will be sentenced on April 2, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison -- however, actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than their maximum penalties, per the DOJ.
