Air rage loophole

In January, 2009, a court in Gander, Newfoundland, fined Russian citizen Sergey Kotsur $10,000 after his drunken, abusive behaviour forced his flight from Moscow to Atlanta to make an emergency landing. But Kotsur has yet to pay up. According to court documents obtained by CBC, foreign offenders in air rage cases often skip the bill. Says Newfoundland lawyer Juan O’Quinn, who represented Kotsur, among other defendants in air rage cases, “When an individual is sentenced and he leaves, and goes back to New Jersey or California, they’re just forgotten.” Other high-profile culprits include Swedish fashion model Marzena Kamizela, who owes $9,400 for a 2006 air rage incident, and New Yorker Richard Guterding, who has yet to repay the $6,200 he was fined in 2004.

CBC News