BOSTON (AP) — An American Airways flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities stated he tried to secretly report video of a 14-year-old lady utilizing an airplane toilet final September.
Police have also alleged that Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of 4 different women utilizing bathrooms on an plane the place he labored.
Thompson was indicted on one rely of tried sexual exploitation of kids and one rely of possession of photographs of kid sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.
Thompson was charged and arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been in federal custody since. A lawyer for Thompson stated after the indictment by a federal grand jury that he was unable to remark.
Investigators stated that about halfway by way of a Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old bought up to make use of the primary cabin toilet nearest to her seat however discovered it was occupied.
Thompson then instructed her the first-class toilet was unoccupied and escorted her there, investigators stated. Earlier than she entered the lavatory, Thompson allegedly instructed her he wanted to scrub his palms and that the bathroom seat was damaged, they stated.
After he left, the teenager entered the lavatory and he or she noticed purple stickers on the underside of the bathroom seat lid, which was within the open place, officers stated.
Beneath the stickers, Thompson had hid his iPhone to report a video, investigators stated. The lady used her telephone to take an image of the stickers and hid iPhone earlier than leaving.
Prosecutors additionally allege tons of of photographs of kid sexual abuse generated by way of synthetic intelligence had been discovered saved on Thompson’s iCloud account.
Tried sexual exploitation of kids carries a sentence of 15-30 years in jail, whereas possessing photographs of sexual abuse of a prepubescent minor can imply as much as 20 years in jail.
Each prices additionally present for at the least 5 years and as much as a lifetime of supervised launch, a high-quality of as much as $250,000 and restitution.
American Airways beforehand issued a press release saying the flight attendant was “instantly withheld from service” and hasn’t labored for the reason that telephone was found.
A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed 4 further cases between January and August 2023 during which Thompson recorded a minor utilizing the rest room on an plane, based on investigators.
These depicted within the recordings had been 7, 9, 11 and 14 years outdated on the time, they stated. Their households have been contacted by police, investigators stated.
