Two charged with taking gun aboard plane

If federal authorities get their way, former South Philadelphia resident Damien Young will not need his new Phoenix abode for years to come.

Young, 29, of Phoenix, is the man who, with his former roommate, Roshid Milledge, 38, of Philadelphia, was arrested June 4 on charges that they snuck a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol aboard a US Airways flight bound for Phoenix.

Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced the filing of a one-count information charging both men with getting on an aircraft while carrying a concealed dangerous weapon. If convicted, each man faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years' supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

According to the FBI, Young was moving to Phoenix and apparently wanted to take the pistol with him, and Milledge, a US Airways customer-service agent, helped him get it through security at Philadelphia International Airport. The two, however, were seen exchanging laptop-style bags by a suspicious passenger, who alerted authorities. The jet was stopped on the runway and ordered to return to the terminal, where it was searched. The FBI said Young, who admitted there was a gun in the bag, had no intention of taking it out during the flight. - Inquirer staff