A man who told Kansas City International Airport officers he wanted to kill the Illuminati — comments that forced Delta Airlines to halt gate operations and triggered a luggage search last fall — has been sentenced to five years of probation. Joseph Velasquez, 37, entered an Alford plea on July 29 in connection with the October 2025 incident, meaning he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to likely convict him.
Threats at Gate B46 Halted Delta Operations
According to FOX4KC, Platte County prosecutors charged Velasquez in October 2025 with second-degree terrorist threat after KCI police officers responded to a harassment complaint at a Delta Airlines gate just before 9 a.m. on Friday, October 24. Several passengers reported that Velasquez made threatening statements, with witnesses telling investigators they overheard him say, “I’m going to kill the Illuminati.” Passengers also reported he asked, “You guys know what’s in my checked bag? Just wait until we’re up in the air.”
The remarks prompted Delta to temporarily interrupt and suspend operations at Gate B46, the station’s report states. KCI officers and K-9 units then conducted a sweep of Velasquez’s luggage in the Delta baggage area; the bags were cleared and deemed safe. Officers also observed Velasquez making a finger-gun gesture and pointing it toward nearby passengers, and passengers reported he had been taking random photos of other travelers.
Velasquez Denied the Comments, Described Being Followed
Court documents cited in the same account say Velasquez told detectives he had been staying at the Hilton Hotel near the airport and said he first encountered the Illuminati there. He said the Illuminati was following him, so he left the hotel and took a shuttle to the airport, and he told a pastor he was being followed by the group while waiting for his flight. He also told KCI police he thought the Illuminati should be dead and that he would kill them all, per the court documents referenced in the report.
When officers questioned him directly about the statements witnesses attributed to him, Velasquez denied making the comments. He separately told police he understood such threats could cause panic and negatively affect airlines and travelers, according to the same court documents. Delta placed him on its No Fly List, prohibiting him from future travel with the airline.
Sentence Carries a Four-Year Hammer
Velasquez was ultimately sentenced to five years of probation, with an underlying four-year sentence that would take effect if he violates the terms of that probation. Second-degree terrorist threats are classified as a class E felony under Missouri Revisor of Statutes Section 574.120.
The case is at least the second in recent years to involve an airline disturbance that rattled a flight at Kansas City International. In a separate 2022 incident, Juan Remberto Rivas Jr. was sentenced in Platte County to two years for assaulting a law enforcement officer and one year for attempting to escape custody, with those state sentences running concurrently, according to KSHB. Rivas also received a 19-month federal sentence for interfering with the flight crew. That disturbance happened aboard a Los Angeles-to-Washington, D.C. flight that diverted to KCI on February 13, 2022, with about 150 passengers on board.
