Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Flight attendant charged after allegedly filming girls in airliner bathrooms
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, is facing one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor.
An American Airlines flight attendant from North Carolina is facing federal charges after allegedly filming girls as they used airplane bathrooms, including during one flight that landed in Boston last fall, the U.S. Attorney announced Thursday.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, is facing one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy alleges that Thompson attempted to record a girl in the bathroom on a flight into Boston and possessed recordings of four more girls from other flights.
Sept. 2 flight into Boston
The 14-year-old girl on a flight from Charlotte, N.C. to Boston on Sept. 2 found a concealed iPhone that Thompson allegedly used to record a video, according to the U.S. Attorney. The court documents allege that midway through the flight, Thompson escorted the girl to an unoccupied first class bathroom and entered the bathroom first.
Advertisement:
When the girl entered the bathroom, she saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat, with handwritten notes including “SEAT BROKEN,” according to court documents. The girl saw beneath the stickers a concealed iPhone. She took a picture of the stickers and the iPhone and left the bathroom, and Thompson allegedly immediately re-entered.
The girl told her parents, who notified flight attendants and the captain who notified law enforcement, documents show. The U.S. Attorney said the victim’s father confronted Thompson, who allegedly locked himself in the bathroom with his iPhone for up to five minutes.
Advertisement:
When they arrived in Boston, his phone “may have been restored” to factory settings, the U.S. Attorney said. Thompson’s suitcase allegedly contained stickers similar to the ones the girl saw on the toilet seat, and a search of his iCloud account allegedly revealed four other incidents of recording minors in plane bathrooms during 2023. Investigators said they also found more than 50 images of an unaccompanied 9-year-old on a flight.
The U.S. Attorney said the other victim’s ages were 7, 9, 11, and 14 at the time. Investigators said all victims have been identified and notified by law enforcement.
“This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again.”
The family of the 14-year-old girl is suing American Airlines, who they say should have been aware of the flight attendant’s danger to passengers. The anonymous family also alleges that American Airlines failed to immediately confiscate the flight attendant’s phone, giving the flight attendant time to destroy evidence.
The family’s lawyer Paul Llewellyn said they are “pleased” that the flight attendant has “finally been arrested.”
“It is also shocking to hear that he allegedly preyed on at least five minors while they were flying on American,” Llewellyn said in a statement. “While the criminal justice system must now run its course against the flight attendant, it remains to be seen whether American Airlines will now finally take some measure of responsibility to the families for what happened. This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again.”
Advertisement:
Thompson faces at least 15 years in prison for attempted sexual exploitation, and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor carries a sentence of at least five and up to 20 years in prison. Both charges could result in a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com