Nathan Patrick Young went to federal court Tuesday to plead guilty to interfering with Fiji Airways flight attendants and crew members, agree that he owes the airline $22,128 and get sentenced, possibly to probation. His father and uncle had traveled from Young’s native Australia to attend the court hearing.

When it came time for Young, 24, to admit to what he did, he told U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi that before boarding flight 811 in Los Angeles on May 26, he took some substances that mixed up his memory but that he accepts responsibility for his actions.

That wasn’t good enough for Kobayashi, who recited the government’s account in detail, even repeating the profanity used, then asked Young whether he agreed with her recitation. When Young said he didn’t remember but didn’t dispute the government’s account, Kobayashi told him, “If you don’t agree with it, go to trial.”

Young agreed and pleaded guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Nammar said Young swore and threatened to kill passengers around him, punched and kicked the walls of the aircraft, swore and charged at the flight attendant assigned to sit next to him and punched another passenger in the face and body.

The government agreed not to charge Young with assaulting the passenger in exchange for his guilty plea to interfering with the crew.

The maximum prison term for interfering with a flight crew or attendants is 20 years. Based on his criminal history and other factors, however, Young is facing a jail term of no more than six months, according to advisory U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Kobayashi indicated that she will impose some amount of prison but did not hand down a sentence Tuesday over her concern that Young pays restitution. She said after he completes whatever amount of jail time she imposes, Young will either leave the country voluntarily or get deported. That would put him out of reach of U.S. courts.

She did not accept a representation from Assistant Federal Public Defender Sharron Rancourt that Young accepts responsibility for paying restitution. Kobayashi scheduled sentencing for October but left open the possibility of it happening sooner if her concern over restitution is resolved.

Fiji Airways Flight 811 was supposed to be a direct flight to Nadi International Airport in Fiji. It diverted to Honolulu because of Young’s unruly behavior.