Certain things are not to be done, and one of those things includes filming someone in a bathroom. Unfortunately, Estes Thompson III, a former American Airlines flight attendant, has found himself in some trouble for filming someone, a girl, according to reports, while she was in the bathroom.
Federal authorities claimed that a former flight attendant for American Airlines was detained on Thursday. She was charged with surreptitiously filming several young girls in 2023 while they used the restroom on the aircraft.
Estes Thompson III, a 37-year-old flight attendant from Charlotte, North Carolina, was taken into custody in Lynchburg, Virginia, and will later be transported to Boston to appear in federal court.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts said that Estes Thompson III was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography after investigators discovered evidence that he had recorded video footage of at least five different girls using the restroom on American Airlines flights.
“The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel,” Joshua S. Levy, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Everyone – especially children – should feel safe and secure as airline passengers, and parents should feel comfortable traveling with their children.”
Thompson attempted to film a 14-year-old girl using the restroom on an American Airlines trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston on September 2, according to court documents. Thompson was working as a flight attendant at the time.
The girl stood midway through the trip to use the main cabin restroom closest to her parents’ seat. According to the records, Estes Thompson III approached the girl in the occupied bathroom and offered to show her to the first-class restroom located at the front of the plane.
However, the lawsuit claims that Estes Thompson III informed the girl that he had to replace the damaged toilet seat in the restroom and wash his hands before she could enter the restroom.
Prosecutors claim that when the adolescent went into the restroom, she saw red stickers adhered to the bottom of the open toilet seat lid, along with handwritten messages that included, “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT,” “REMOVE FROM SERVICE,” and “SEAT BROKEN.” According to the charging complaint, the girl peered beyond the red stickers and saw a hidden iPhone filming a video.
Estes Thompson III entered the restroom again right away after the girl snapped a picture of the display and left, according to the lawsuit. After the adolescent went back to her seat, she showed her parents the picture of what she had seen in the restroom. This caused them to alert other flight attendants, who then informed the captain.
However, prosecutors claim that after the girl’s father confronted Thompson, he locked himself in a restroom for some minutes before the plane landed. Following the plane’s landing at Logan International Airport in Boston, Thompson was approached by law enforcement officials who had been alerted on the ground. They looked through Thompson’s phone and discovered that it had been reset to its factory settings, according to court filings.
According to the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, this case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a national program launched in 2006 to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse. In collaboration with the Department of Justice, the effort mobilizes federal, state, and local assets to assist victims and apprehend and punish adult perpetrators of child exploitation.
According to the prosecution, Estes Thompson III may spend up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of trying to sexually abuse minors and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of possessing child pornography. In addition, a maximum punishment of $250,000 and a lifetime of monitoring upon release may be imposed on both crimes.
In a statement, Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston field office, said that Thompson had “repeatedly targeted unsuspecting children to sexually exploit them for his own gratification.”
“What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful,” Cohen said in a statement. “This case should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft and the sexual exploitation of children seriously.”
The post Who is Estes Thompson III? American Airlines flight attendant arrested for filming a girl in bathroom appeared first on GhBase•com™-Everything & News Now.
Federal authorities claimed that a former flight attendant for American Airlines was detained on Thursday. She was charged with surreptitiously filming several young girls in 2023 while they used the restroom on the aircraft.
Estes Thompson III, a 37-year-old flight attendant from Charlotte, North Carolina, was taken into custody in Lynchburg, Virginia, and will later be transported to Boston to appear in federal court.
Estes Thompson III Charged With Attempted Sexual Exploitation
The U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts said that Estes Thompson III was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography after investigators discovered evidence that he had recorded video footage of at least five different girls using the restroom on American Airlines flights.
“The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel,” Joshua S. Levy, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Everyone – especially children – should feel safe and secure as airline passengers, and parents should feel comfortable traveling with their children.”
Estes Thompson III Hid Her iPhone On Toilet Seat
Thompson attempted to film a 14-year-old girl using the restroom on an American Airlines trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston on September 2, according to court documents. Thompson was working as a flight attendant at the time.
The girl stood midway through the trip to use the main cabin restroom closest to her parents’ seat. According to the records, Estes Thompson III approached the girl in the occupied bathroom and offered to show her to the first-class restroom located at the front of the plane.
However, the lawsuit claims that Estes Thompson III informed the girl that he had to replace the damaged toilet seat in the restroom and wash his hands before she could enter the restroom.
Prosecutors claim that when the adolescent went into the restroom, she saw red stickers adhered to the bottom of the open toilet seat lid, along with handwritten messages that included, “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT,” “REMOVE FROM SERVICE,” and “SEAT BROKEN.” According to the charging complaint, the girl peered beyond the red stickers and saw a hidden iPhone filming a video.
Estes Thompson III entered the restroom again right away after the girl snapped a picture of the display and left, according to the lawsuit. After the adolescent went back to her seat, she showed her parents the picture of what she had seen in the restroom. This caused them to alert other flight attendants, who then informed the captain.
However, prosecutors claim that after the girl’s father confronted Thompson, he locked himself in a restroom for some minutes before the plane landed. Following the plane’s landing at Logan International Airport in Boston, Thompson was approached by law enforcement officials who had been alerted on the ground. They looked through Thompson’s phone and discovered that it had been reset to its factory settings, according to court filings.
Estes Thompson III Faces Several Years In Prison If Convicted
According to the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, this case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a national program launched in 2006 to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse. In collaboration with the Department of Justice, the effort mobilizes federal, state, and local assets to assist victims and apprehend and punish adult perpetrators of child exploitation.
According to the prosecution, Estes Thompson III may spend up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of trying to sexually abuse minors and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of possessing child pornography. In addition, a maximum punishment of $250,000 and a lifetime of monitoring upon release may be imposed on both crimes.
In a statement, Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston field office, said that Thompson had “repeatedly targeted unsuspecting children to sexually exploit them for his own gratification.”
“What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful,” Cohen said in a statement. “This case should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft and the sexual exploitation of children seriously.”
The post Who is Estes Thompson III? American Airlines flight attendant arrested for filming a girl in bathroom appeared first on GhBase•com™-Everything & News Now.