Nigerian man Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi who scammed flight from JFK 'embarrassed

LOS ANGELES - The Nigerian man who flew from JFK to Los Angeles with a stolen boarding pass is "embarrassed" by accusations he's a pickpocket, identity thief and seasoned airline scammer.

Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi, 24, appeared in federal court Friday moing and failed to make bail after prosecutors said he is a "serious flight risk" who planned to retu to Nigeria on July 7.

"He is extremely embarrassed," defense lawyer Carl Gunn told the judge. "He is doubly, triply, quadruply embarrassed by this publicity.

"He is not an anti-social person who says to heck with it and takes off."

Gunn said Noibi has relatives in northe Califoia and Georgia and that an uncle in George was "wrestling" with a request to put up his property as collateral for a bond.

"It's a pretty respectable family, and they're a little freaked out," Gunn said of the U.S. relatives, adding that Noibi's parents still live in Nigeria.

Noibi, who has dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship, wore white pants, a green windbreaker and waist and ankle shackles as he listened intently to the proceedings. He spoke only once, telling the judge he understood why he was going back to jail.

Assistant U.S. Attoey Edward Alon said Noibi was cited in the past for riding a train without a ticket and had "more than 15" passports in other people's names when he was searched during his Wednesday arrest.

Noibi never answered the 2008 Chicago train arrest and a warrant was issued, prosecutors said.

The airline case gained national attention when prosecutors claimed Noibi flew from New York to LAX last Friday using a day-old Virgin America boarding pass allegedly stolen from the back pocket of a subway rider in New York.

Flight crew found him in a seat that was supposed to be empty and called authorities when they leaed his true identity from a University of Michigan identification card.

Noibi was not immediately detained and tried to board a Delta flight five days later after making his way through LAX security with his university ID and a police report saying his U.S. passport had been stolen, prosecutors said.

He told authorities he traveled to Los Angeles to recruit people for a software business, according to the criminal complaint.

Alon told the judge that "it's not even clear" where Noibi lives.

Gunn said his client might be able to stay with his cousin in Hayward, Calif., or at a halfway house in Los Angeles if he's granted bail.

The judge said Noibi's conduct and statements to the court "don't add up" and that he had a problem with the man's "candor."

"I'm just not sure I understand what is going on here," Judge Michael Wilner said, adding that any possible future release likely would include electronic monitoring and definitely would forbid air travel.

"He has an admitted interest and history in traveling for free," Alon argued. "I would not want to be present at 30,000 feet when he's discovered again. A fight could ensue."

Noibi's arraignment is scheduled for July 18.