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Hawaii FAA Employee Charged With Interference of Air Traffic Control Operations
On September 2, 2020, in the U.S. District Court of Hawaii, the U.S. Attorney filed an information charging Joelyn DeCosta with willfully and maliciously interfering with the working and use of a communication system used by air traffic controllers and aircraft flying above and around Honolulu. DeCosta is an airway transportation specialist at FAA.
The information states that on or about January 4, 2019, DeCosta interfered with a communication system operated and controlled by the United States, intended to be used for military and civil defense. DeCosta allegedly obstructed, hindered, and delayed the transmission of communications between air traffic controllers and aircraft flying in U.S. airspace on frequency QHK ECOM 119.3 megahertz. Title 18, United States Code, section 1362, prohibits activities that disrupt Federal communication lines, stations, or systems.
Note: Indictments, informations, and complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.