Woman Indicted For Assault, Interfering With Flight Crew

MINNEAPOLIS— Today in federal court, a 34-year-old Fresno, California woman was arraigned for interfering with a Delta Airlines flight crew. Brandi Kristine Poulsen was charged by indictment with three counts of Interference with a Flight Crew and Attendants and one count of Assault of a Fellow Passenger.

On February 7, 2014, Poulsen was on board Delta flight 1189 travelling from Baltimore to Salt Lake City. According to the indictment, the defendant made threats against the lives of crew members, and assaulted one crew member and a passenger. The alleged offense caused the unscheduled landing of the airliner at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

The maximum penalty for Interference with a Flight Crew and Attendants is 20 years’ imprisonment, as well as possible fines. All sentences are ultimately determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.