JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — A pilot fired from Cathay Pacific Airlines said he wore his former employer’s uniform and badge to bypass security at Honolulu International Airport.

Joshu Osmanski, 39, a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to unlawfully entering the secure area of an airport.

He said he wore the Cathay Pacific uniform and badge months after he was terminated from his job “so that I could cut the line and keep my shoes on while going through Honolulu airport security.”

He knew it was wrong, he said.

In addition to wearing the uniform, he had the Cathay Pacific badge on a lanyard around his neck, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Hino. Osmanski told Transportation Security Administration officers he was part of the Cathay Pacific flight crew. He was allowed to pass through without undergoing normal passenger security screening, Hino said.

Federal agents later questioned Osmanski, who told them he no longer worked for the airline. After he was terminated from Cathay Pacific, Osmanski didn’t return his flight crew credentials as he was supposed to, Hino said.

According to a plea agreement, Osmanski purchased tickets to fly on Delta Air Lines to the mainland to start training for his new job as pilot with Atlas Air, Inc.

He’s no longer at that job and now studying dentistry at Tulane University in New Orleans, his defense attorney Birney Bervar said.

Osmanski faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced in February. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000.

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