He got off with probation:
Man Sentenced to Probation For Shining Laser at a Plane
By JOHN HOLL
Published: February 18, 2006
A man who pleaded guilty to shining a laser beam at a passing airplane, temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot, was sentenced to two years of probation in federal court here on Friday.
The man, David W. Banach, 39, of Parsippany, N.J., could have faced up to 20 years in prison under the Patriot Act but reached a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges that he lied about his actions when questioned by federal agents.
Mr. Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola Longarzo, said her client was in his backyard with his 7-year-old daughter on Dec. 29, 2004, using a handheld laser pointer to illustrate the stars, when the green beam shined into the cockpit of a passing charter plane, a twin-engine Cessna Citation. It was flying at 3,000 feet at the time and carrying six passengers en route to Teterboro Airport.
Two days later, one of the Cessna pilots was joining federal agents in a police helicopter to search for the site of the laser appearance when another laser crossed near the cockpit. Mr. Banach was arrested soon after.
Man Sentenced to Probation For Shining Laser at a Plane - NYTimes.com