An American Airlines flight attendant was taken into custody Thursday, January 18, on charges of covertly recording young girls using the aircraft restroom.
According to The Hill, Estes Carter Thompson III reportedly tried to film a girl passenger, aged 14, when she used the restroom on an American Airlines trip from Charlotte in North Carolina to Boston in Massachusetts on September 2, 2023.
Allegedly, the 37-year-old flight attendant also videotaped four other girls (ages 7, 9, 11, and 14) as they used the restroom on the flight.
A now-former American Airlines flight attendant has been arrested for allegedly attempting to record a teenage passenger in an airplane bathroom, federal prosecutors say. https://t.co/OvVlsHNqE3
— ABC News (@ABC) January 19, 2024
Troubling Experience
On a September flight to Boston last year, Thompson allegedly approached the 14-year-old as she waited for an occupied restroom in the main cabin and led her to an empty first-class lavatory. But Thompson informed the girl that he needed to wash his hands first and that the toilet seat was broken.
When Thompson exited the restroom, the teenager went inside and saw red stickers labeled "inoperative catering equipment," "remove from service," and "seat broken" on the underside of the open toilet seat cover.
After taking a photo of the red stickers--which the victim claims hid an iPhone placed behind them--the victim exited the restroom. Thompson promptly returned to the restroom, according to documents.
The 14-year-old presented the picture to her parents and explained what she had seen when she got back to her seat. Her parents alerted the flight attendants, who in turn alerted the captain. In response, the captain informed the local authorities.
After the victim's father confronted Thompson, the latter reportedly spent a few minutes in the restroom alone with his phone before the plane descended.
Authorities said that upon arrival at Boston's Logan Airport, Thompson's iPhone seemed to have been reset to factory settings. He reportedly had 11 red "inoperative catering equipment" stickers in his luggage.
Results of Inquiry
Based on the investigation, Thompson's iCould account shows four instances of minors using plane restrooms between January and August 2023. There are also more than 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied minor, including pictures of her sitting before the flight and close-ups of her face while she slept.
Furthermore, Thompson's iCloud account reportedly had hundreds of photos of child pornography created using artificial intelligence (AI).
The Boston Department of Justice reports that law enforcement has located and contacted the children's relatives.
One count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor are the charges against Thompson, as per the news release published by the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
At a later time, he is scheduled to make an appearance in Boston federal court. For attempted sexual exploitation of minors, Thompson faces a minimum of 15 to 30 years in jail, and for possession of child pornography featuring a prepubescent child, the minimum sentence is five to 20 years. A fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and a term of supervised release ranging from five years to life are additional penalties for both crimes.
