A Philadelphia man was sentenced to one year in prison for shining a laser at a police helicopter.
Raji Yusuf, 36, received a one-year prison sentence with three years of supervised release for shining a laser pointer into a police helicopter while it was airborne in June 2021 and for violating the terms of his supervised release, according to an April 7 Department of Justice news release. Yusuf is also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
"There is a reason that aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense – the consequences for those onboard and anyone in the vicinity could be disastrous," U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in the release. "Let this be a warning to anyone who might consider trying something similar: you could face serious federal prison time as a result."
According to the news release, Yusuf reportedly shined a high-intensity green laser at a police helicopter in the area of the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, causing the officers inside to temporarily see spots. At the time of the incident, Yusuf was on supervised release for a 2016 conviction for trafficking firearms.
“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft risks the safety of those on board, as well as people on the ground," Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division Jacqueline Maguire said in the release. "If a pilot’s vision is compromised, it could prove disastrous. Mr. Yusuf made an extraordinarily bad decision and did so while on federal supervision for his previous offense. This sentence not only holds him appropriately accountable, it shows how seriously we take it when someone uses a laser pointer in such a reckless and risky way.”
