Man pleads guilty in bomb hoax threat on Philly airplane
A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to calling in a hoax threat of explosives on an aircraft last fall, which authorities said was an effort to get back at the former boyfriend of his then-girlfriend.
The Philadelphia Inquirer says 26-year-old Kenneth Smith Jr. struggled to hold back tears in federal court yesterday as he pleaded guilty to malicious false information about an explosive and false information and hoax charges.
He and defense attorney William Brennan said they would say more at his April 16 sentencing.
Smith told the ABC newsmagazine “20/20” last week that he had no intention of having the Dallas-bound US Airways flight turn around and apologized to all of the passengers. Prosecutors say Smith has agreed to reimburse passengers, the airline and emergency personnel.
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