San Francisco Man Charged with Interfering with a Flight Crew

March 5, 2010 - Acting United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar announced today, March 2, 2010, that Kinman Chan of San Francisco, California, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of interference with a flight crew.

The one count indictment named Chan, age 30, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment and records from an earlier hearing on January 31, 2010, Chan assaulted a flight attendant by attempting to "elbow" her while being escorted back to his seat on a direct flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The incident forced the pilot to divert the flight to Pittsburgh.

Assistant United States Attorney Margaret E. Picking, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.