A Boston local faced arraignment in federal court after officials nabbed him for flying a drone near the Boston Marathon's finish line back in April, a stunt that set off a bomb scare and a security scramble, authorities said. Allan Nip, 30, was charged with operating an unmanned aircraft system within the restricted confines of the National Defense Airspace. Defense attorneys and federal prosecutors reached a deferred prosecution agreement resulting in Nip coughing up a $5,000 criminal fine along with forfeiting his $4,000 drone and controller, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Caught in the act mere blocks away from where wheelchair athletes were speeding toward the finish, Nip's flying device was intercepted, securely landed in Back Bay, and scrutinized by bomb squad technicians to assess its threat level; fortuitously, it didn't pose any immediate danger. Court documents allege Nip admitted to police when they turned up at his West Springfield Street apartment that, yes, he had indeed been operating the aforementioned drone that morning.
Playing risky with airspace security doesn't come cheap. The charge of invading restricted flight zones could result in Nip facing a year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a hefty fine potentially reaching six figures. However, any sentence would be at the discretion of a federal court judge, guided by complex sentencing guidelines and statutes. In their announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, FBI Boston's Jodi Cohen, and FAA New England's Colleen D'Alessandro emphasized the seriousness of Nip's aerial misadventure and praised the swift response from law enforcement, including Boston's Commissioner Michael Cox.
To fly or not to fly is not a question to take lightly, especially around high-security events. The controller attached to Nip's drone allegedly warned of the no-fly zone on marathon day, and the FAA had already issued clear notices outlining restrictions and the requirement for special permits—permits not granted to amateur drone pilots. Despite the complex legal language surrounding the incident, it’s important to remember that charges are merely allegations until proven in court. This requires evidence strong enough to overcome the presumption of innocence that protects us all until judgment is rendered.
