CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An American Airlines flight attendant was arrested this week in connection with a September 2023 incident where a 14-year-old girl found an iPhone taped to an airplane toilet to record her, according to the FBI.
Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor, the FBI announced Thursday. Thompson was arrested in Virginia and will remain in jail pending his first appearance in court. He's expected to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, according to an FBI news release.
The teen found an iPhone taped to the back of a toilet seat on a flight from Charlotte to Boston on Sept. 2, 2023. The family says the girl was advised by Thompson to use the first-class bathroom, saying he went in the bathroom just before she did and said the seat was broken but told her not to worry about it. He went back into the bathroom after she left, the family said. The girl took a picture of the device while in the bathroom.
“These events have left our daughter — and entire family — shocked and profoundly disturbed,” the family wrote in a statement.
The family filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in December. Lawyers representing the family said the airline "knew or should have known that the flight attendant was a danger." They also said the failure of other crew members allowed him to destroy evidence when he was confronted about the incident. American said that Thompson was "withheld from service" after the incident.
When the flight landed in Boston, law enforcement discovered that Thompson's phone may have been restored to factory default settings. Detectives allege they found 11 "inoperative catering equipment" stickers in Thompson's luggage like the one used to tape his phone to the toilet on the plane.
A search of his iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using the bathroom on a plane, the FBI said. The victims in those incidents were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old at the time. That search also found hundreds of AI-generated child pornography images, the FBI alleges.
In addition, investigators allegedly found over 50 photos of an unaccompanied 9-year-old who was in her seat before a flight and close-up pictures of her face while sleeping. All of the victims have been identified and their families have been contacted by investigators.
“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,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said. “Everyone – especially children – should feel safe and secure as airline passengers, and parents should feel comfortable traveling with their children. Protecting children is a paramount priority for this office and we will aggressively investigate and hold accountable people who victimize children.”
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