Out of interest - what will happen to Mr Cope in this instance ?
6 months in a federal jail, followed by 6 months of house arrest. His name will be all over Google for many years, so presumably major airlines will be loath to touch him.
Well, traditionally he might be able to quietly eek out an existence undetected flying night freight with a non-sked operation. However recent FAA background check requirements make that less likely.
That other 'last refuge of a scoundrel', expat flying, has given some a chance to rehabilitate their reputations and even embellish their qualifications, there is another thread here on that subject. Hey, it worked for me.
If Mr. Cope's former employer has a HIMS program (see:
HIMS - A Substance Abuse Treatment Program For Commercial Pilots ), there is a possibility that he may be returned to his former position with seniority intact after serving prison time, going through rehab and perhaps earning all of his flight ratings from scratch. Lyle Prouse has posted here on PPRuNe about his pioneering return to duty after the infamous Northwest Airlines alcohol incident in Fargo, ND in 1990. A profile of Captain Prouse is here:
Lyle Prouse
Prouse and his FE at the time, Joe Balzer have differing views of the events leading up to incident. Balzer currently flies for American Airlines and his version of the Fargo incident is given in this preview of his recent book:
Flying Drunk: The True Story of a ... - Joseph Balzer - Google Books