SALT LAKE CITY. Utah, April 18, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A federal grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging a Texas man for national security crimes after illegally boarding then stowing away in restrooms on a Delta flight.
Wicliff Yves Fleurizard is charged as a stowaway and for device fraud after he allegedly took photos of other airline passengers’ tickets, which he used to board a flight to Texas, then hide in the aircraft’s lavatories, according to the Utah Attorney’s Office for Utah.
On March 17, 2024, the 26-year-old, of Leander, Texas, with his bogus credentials boarded Delta Airlines flight #1683 from Salt Lake City International Airport to Austin, Texas, prosecutors said. He briefly avoided detection hiding out in the airliner’s lavatories.
When Fleurizard exited one of the lavatories, a flight attendant noticed no seats were available and approached Fleurizard. By this time the aircraft doors were secured and it had started to taxi to the runway.
Fleurizard identified a seat as his to the flight attendant, but the flight attendant verified that the passenger in that seat actually purchased the seat, according to the press release. Flight attendants searched for Fleurizard’s name on their Guest Service Tool but were unable to locate a valid ticket or booking reservation for him. The aircraft returned to the gate, and Fleurizard was met by law enforcement.
As alleged in the complaint, surveillance footage showed Fleurizard in the boarding area taking photos with his phone of multiple passengers’ phones and/or boarding passes while they were not looking.
The footage also showed that Fleurizard used his phone as a boarding pass when he boarded the plane. The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
