The family of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly discovered the iPhone taped to the back of a toilet seat believed she was targeted by a member of the crew. Photo / AP
A former American Airlines employee accused of secretly filming young women using plane toilets was arrested in Lynchburg, Virginia, last Thursday.
Flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of minors and possessing child pornography, after evidence was found of at least five underaged victims recorded in the toilets on flights operated by American Airlines.
“The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel,” said acting US attorney for the district of Massachusetts, Joshua S. Levy.
“Everyone — especially children — should feel safe and secure as airline passengers, and parents should feel comfortable travelling with their children.”
Charging documents for Thompson show the attendant was working on a September 2 American Airlines service between Charlotte and Boston, on which he attempted to record a 14-year-old girl using the toilet.
The documents state Thompson claimed he needed to wash his hands and fix the broken toilet seat before she could use the facilities.
When the teen entered the toilet, she immediately noticed red stickers reading “SEAT BROKEN” and a concealed iPhone taped beneath the lid.
Confronted by the girl’s father, Thompson reportedly locked himself in the toilet, not coming out until the flight was preparing to land.
“These events have left our daughter — and entire family — shocked and profoundly disturbed,” the girl’s parents said at the time.
Thompson was approached by airport police on arrival at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The court documents say the phone had undergone a “factory reset” and its memory wiped.
A warrant to search Thompson’s iCloud and personal effects produced recordings of four passengers using the bathroom on American Airlines flights — all were girls aged 7-14, dated between January and August 2023.
The flight attendant’s contract with the airline was terminated in September.
American Airlines released a media statement following Thompson’s arrest, saying it was taking “allegations very seriously”.
“They don’t reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people,” the airline said. “We have been fully co-operating with law enforcement in its investigation as there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team.”
If found guilty, the flight attendant faces a prison sentence of up to 30 years for attempted sexual exploitation of children and a further 20 years for possession of child pornography.
Both offences require a lifetime of supervision on release and fines of up to US$250,000 ($411,000).
FBI investigator Jodi Cohen, who oversaw the arrest, called Thompson’s behaviour “disgraceful” and “calculated”.
Cohen said the FBI had evidence that Thompson had made indecent recordings of underage passengers on at least five flights.
“This case should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft and the sexual exploitation of children seriously.”
