MAN SENTENCED AFTER DRUNKEN
TIRADE ABOARD AIRCRAFT FORCES LANDING

BUFFALO, N.Y.-- JOSE ROMAN, JR., 27, of Alvin, Texas, who was convicted of Interference with Flight Crew Members and Attendants was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, to be followed by one year supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,867.24 in restitution to JetBlue Airways by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy, U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York announced today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney J.P. Kennedy, who handled the case, stated that the defendant had been convicted as a result of his conduct on June 28, 2007, when he was a passenger aboard JetBlue Airways Flight 622 in route from George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas, to John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, New York. While on the plane, ROMAN was advised by a JetBlue crew member that she was, pursuant to JetBlue regulations, unable to serve him additional alcoholic drinks. Defendant ROMAN continued to request additional drinks and the crew repeatedly denied his requests. After confronting a crew member in the aisle of the aircraft, ROMAN refused to return to his seat and became irate and abusive. Several times ROMAN made statements saying to the crew and other passengers that he was going to shoot and kill the flight crew when the plane landed in New York. Because of his actions, the pilot of the aircraft diverted the aircraft to Buffalo, New York, where there aircraft landed and ROMAN was removed from the aircraft.

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie Bennett, Special Agent-in-Charge.