{"id":946,"date":"2026-06-04T19:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=946"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:09:32","slug":"maui-man-pleads-guilty-as-fbi-faa-warn-against-lasers-aimed-at-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=946","title":{"rendered":"Maui man pleads guilty as FBI, FAA warn against lasers aimed at aircraft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Hawaii, in partnership with the FBI and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is working to identify and prosecute those endangering aircraft with laser pointers. <\/p>\n

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Shining a laser at an aircraft can impair a pilot\u2019s vision, sometimes permanently, during critical moments of flight. These incidents present a serious safety risk to everyone on board the aircraft and to the communities below.<\/p>\n

\u201cHawaii has one of the highest rates of aircraft lasing in the nation,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. \u201cThat is simply unacceptable. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is highly dangerous, illegal, and will be met with the full force of federal law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal law treats aircraft lasing as a serious criminal offense. Knowingly aiming a laser pointer beam at an aircraft or its flight path is a federal felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to five years. <\/p>\n

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Where the aircraft is federally operated, lasing the aircraft can also constitute assault on a federal officer. Individuals who aid and abet such conduct, or even those who act as accessories after the fact, may also face federal prosecution.<\/p>\n

Jesse Kong, 30, of Maui, Hawaii, pled guilty in federal court on April 15 to being an accessory after the fact to a laser-pointer assault on a federal pilot. He faces up to 6 months of imprisonment for that crime. <\/p>\n

Kong admitted in his plea agreement to purchasing a laser pointer online and loaning it to an associate who, in Kong\u2019s presence, aimed the laser at a federal aircraft and into its cockpit, disorienting the pilot and interfering with the aircraft\u2019s operations. <\/p>\n

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Shortly after the incident, FBI agents intercepted Kong and his associate, questioning both, and Kong falsely represented that the individuals responsible had already left the scene, thereby assisting his associate in eluding apprehension. <\/p>\n

Kong is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2026.<\/p>\n

As Kong\u2019s prosecution shows, the FBI can swiftly track down those responsible for laser strikes on aircraft.<\/p>\n

As video footage of various aircraft lasing incidents demonstrates, shining a laser at an aircraft can significantly impair a pilot\u2019s field of vision and present a danger to those in the aircraft and on the ground. <\/p>\n

\u201cAiming a laser at an aircraft is not a prank; it is a direct assault on the safety of the pilot, the passengers, and everyone on the ground below,\u201d said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. \u201cWe use every resource at our disposal to track the illegal use of these lasers back to the source. If you light up the sky and an aircraft, expect us to come knocking at your door.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office also warns that laser pointers sold online are often mislabeled as to classification and power output. Devices marketed as low-powered, handheld pointers may in fact emit laser radiation at much higher power levels than advertised. <\/p>\n

Some handheld devices can start fires and cause severe ocular damage. <\/p>\n

Pilots and aviation personnel should report laser strikes immediately to air traffic control and the FAA. Members of the public who witness someone pointing a laser at an aircraft are encouraged to contact authorities.<\/p>\n

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The FBI investigated the case.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shining a laser at an aircraft can impair a pilot\u2019s vision\u2014sometimes permanently\u2014during critical moments of flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMaui man pleads guilty as FBI, FAA warn against lasers aimed at aircraft - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=946\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maui man pleads guilty as FBI, FAA warn against lasers aimed at aircraft - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shining a laser at an aircraft can impair a pilot\u2019s vision\u2014sometimes permanently\u2014during critical moments of flight.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=946\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T19:09:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Maui man pleads guilty as FBI, FAA warn against lasers aimed at aircraft\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T19:09:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946\"},\"wordCount\":592,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/de3b30caf18ac80419acbd23a6dca0e8.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=946\",\"name\":\"Maui man pleads guilty as FBI, FAA warn against lasers aimed at aircraft - 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