CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TCD) — A 36-year-old American Airlines flight attendant faces charges after allegedly taping several female minors, ages 7 through 14, in aircraft lavatories without their knowledge.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Estes Thompson III was working an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston on Sept. 2, 2023, when he was allegedly caught trying to film a 14-year-old female passenger in the aircraft bathroom.
Midway through the flight, the 14-year-old victim reportedly went to use the restroom. The lavatory was in use, and after waiting for a short time, Thompson allegedly approached her and escorted her to the first-class bathroom, which was unoccupied. Thompson reportedly told the victim he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat needed repair, so he went in briefly before her.
After Thompson exited the bathroom, the attorney’s office said the 14-year-old girl entered and noticed “red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position.” The red stickers reportedly stated, “Inoperative Catering Equipment” and “Remove from Service.” The phrase “Seat Broken” was handwritten in black ink on one of the stickers, according to the attorney’s office.
Prosecutors allege Thompson had his iPhone concealed underneath the red stickers ready to record. Inside the lavatory, the 14-year-old victim took a picture of the stickers and Thompson’s cellphone with her phone. After she left, Thompson reportedly re-entered immediately.
According to the attorney’s office, the girl told her parents about the situation and showed them the photos. The parents then reported the incident to other flight attendants, and the captain alerted law enforcement on the ground.
The victim’s father allegedly confronted Thompson about the matter, and Thompson “locked himself in the lavatory with his iPhone for three to five minutes prior to the flight’s descent.”
Law enforcement officials searched Thompson’s suitcase upon arrival at Boston’s Logan Airport and reportedly found 11 “Inoperative Catering Equipment” stickers matching the ones found by the 14-year-old victim.
The attorney’s office said investigators searched Thompson’s iCloud account and found four separate instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded minors in the aircraft bathroom. Thompson’s victims were allegedly 7, 9, 11, and 14 years old at the time.
Officials also found over 50 additional images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied child, including photos of her seated pre-flight and “close-ups of her face while sleeping.”
The attorney’s office said investigators located hundreds of images of AI-generated child pornography on Thompson’s iCloud account as well.
Authorities have notified the minor victims’ families.
The FBI arrested Thompson in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Thursday, Jan. 18 on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date but will remain in custody pending a court appearance in the Western District of Virginia.
According to the attorney’s office, Thompson faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for the charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children. The charge of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor carries a minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Additionally, Thompson will have to serve at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and pay a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution for both charges.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement, “The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel. Mr. Thompson allegedly used his position to prey on and surreptitiously record innocent children, including unaccompanied minors, while in a vulnerable state aboard flights he was working.”
Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, added, “What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful, and we believe, calculated, given that this alleged conduct occurred on at least five flights.”
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