BOSTON — An American Airlines flight attendant was charged Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Police have also alleged that Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls using restrooms on a plane where he worked.
Thompson was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of children and with possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor.
Thompson was charged and arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been in federal custody ever since. An attorney for Thompson said he could not comment after the federal grand jury indictment.
Investigators said the 14-year-old got up about halfway through a Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston to use the main cabin restroom closest to her seat, only to find it occupied.
Thompson then told her the first-class restroom was empty and escorted her there, investigators said. Before she entered the bathroom, Thompson allegedly told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken, they said.
After he left, the teen went into the bathroom and noticed red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat lid, which was open, officials said.
Under the stickers, Thompson had hidden his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her phone to take a photo of the stickers and hidden iPhone before leaving.
Prosecutors also allege that hundreds of child sexual abuse images generated by artificial intelligence were found on Thompson’s iCloud account.
Attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a prison sentence of 15 to 30 years, while possession of images of sexual abuse of a prepubescent minor carries up to 20 years in prison.
Both charges also provide for a minimum custodial sentence of five years and a maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.
American Airlines previously released a statement saying the flight attendant was “immediately removed from service” and has not worked since the phone was discovered.
A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor while using the restroom on an airplane, according to investigators.
Those seen in the recordings were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old at the time, they said. Their families have been contacted by police, investigators said.
