HOUSTON — A federal indictment alleges a Houston man disrupted a flight from the Persian Gulf to Houston earlier this month, including threatening to blow up the plane.
The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Houston accuses 33-year-old Joseph Ferrarone of interfering with a flight crew and could be, if convicted, be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Court documents show Ferrarone was on the Qatar-to-Houston flight Dec. 1 when he created a disturbance by using abusive language against the cabin crew, threatening to blow up the plane and refusing to comply with flight attendants' directions.
His attorney, Thomas Berg of Houston, says his client had pleaded not guilty and is set for trial Feb. 2. Berg says Ferrarone remains in custody without bond pending mental health tests.
