BOSTON (AP) — An American Airlines flight attendant was arrested after the U.S. attorney said he tried to film a young girl using an airplane bathroom.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested by the FBI in Virginia on Thursday and charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor.
According to charging documents, Thompson attempted to film a 14-year-old girl using the bathroom on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston.
The teen allegedly found a cell phone hidden with stickers on the lid of the toilet seat after Thompson told her the toilet seat was broken.
The girl's father allegedly confronted Thompson, who locked himself in the bathroom with his phone for three to five minutes.
A family says this hidden camera was planted in the bathroom of a plane heading to Boston. CBS Boston
When the flight arrived at Logan Airport, police said Thompson's cellphone was reset to factory settings.
While searching Thompson's iCloud account, police allegedly found four additional videos in which Thompson recorded a child using the airplane bathroom, as well as more than 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied minor, including photos taken of her sleeping .
Hundreds of AI-generated child sexual abuse images were also reportedly found on Thompson's iCloud account.
“The deeply disturbing behavior alleged here is something that neither parents nor children should ever have to worry about when traveling. Mr. Thompson allegedly used his position to spy on and secretly record innocent children, including unaccompanied minors, while they were in a vulnerable state aboard flights. “He worked,” Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement Explanation.
The 14-year-old who allegedly found Thompson's cellphone strapped to the toilet seat has since sued American Airlines, claiming Thompson was able to destroy evidence because other crew members did not confiscate his phone.
“We are pleased to hear that the American Airlines flight attendant has finally been arrested. It's also shocking to hear that he allegedly robbed at least five minors while they were flying American. The criminal justice system must now take action.” “It remains to be seen whether the flight attendant will finally accept some degree of responsibility to the families for what happened. “This should never have happened and should never happen again,” said the 14-year-old’s lawyer, Paul Llewellyn.
American Airlines said Thompson has not worked for them since the incident aboard the Boston-bound flight.
“We take these allegations very seriously. They do not reflect our airline or our core mission of taking care of people. “We have cooperated fully with law enforcement in their investigation as there is nothing more important than the safety of our customers and team,” the airline said in a statement.
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