BOSTON (AP) — An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record a video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
The police have also claimed that Estes Carter Thompson IIIThe 36-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina had recordings of four other girls using bathrooms on a plane where he worked.
Thompson was indicted on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a pre-pubescent minor.
Thompson was charged and arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been in federal custody since. An attorney for Thompson said after a federal grand jury indictment that he could not comment.
Investigators said that roughly in the middle of a September 2, 2023, flight From Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old got up to use the main cabin bathroom closest to her seat but found it was occupied.
Thompson then told her that the first-class bathroom was unoccupied and walked her there, investigators said. Before she entered the bathroom, Thompson allegedly told her that she needed to wash her hands and that the toilet seat was broken, they said.
After he left, the teen went into the bathroom and saw red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat, which was open, authorities said.
Under the stickers, Thompson hid his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her cell phone to take a photo of the stickers and the hidden iPhone before leaving.
Prosecutors also allege that hundreds of images of child sexual abuse generated using artificial intelligence were found stored on Thompson’s iCloud account.
Attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison, while possession of sexual abuse images of a pre-pubescent minor can mean up to 20 years in prison.
Both charges also provide for at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.
American Airlines previously issued a statement saying the flight attendant was “immediately removed from duty” and has not worked since the phone was discovered.
A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using an aircraft bathroom, according to investigators.
Those portrayed in the recordings were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old at the time, they said. Their families were contacted by police, investigators said.
