The former American Airlines flight attendant pleaded guilty to secretly recording a video of a 14-year-old girl on Thursday, holding records of four other girls, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Estes Carter Thompson III of Charlotte, North Carolina has admitted to one count of attempts at child sexual exploitation and one count of imagery of child sexual abuse depicting DOJs of pre-predicted minors. I said In a press release.
He first complained I’m not innocent According to the Associated Press, the charges were filed. After pleading guilty now, the man is expected to receive between 15 and 20 years behind bars under a legal agreement. Boston.com It has been reported.
Thompson, 37, attached his phone to the underside of the toilet seat lid, using a red sticker labelled “inappropriate catering equipment,” “removed from service,” and “broken sheet,” according to the DOJ. The 14-year-old girl discovered the phone after realising the sticker and took a photo of the hidden device before telling her parents, authorities said.
As a result of #FBI Boston Investigation @MassStatePoliceformer American Airlines flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, has allowed to secretly film minors in the bathroom on an aircraft. https://t.co/mjgkzk2gem pic.twitter.com/rzlea4luej
– FBI Boston (@fbiboston) March 7, 2025
According to the DOJ, a forensic search for his iCloud account also revealed recordings of four minors from previous flights, ages 7, 9, 11 and 14 in 2023. Investigators also found him in possession of images of child sexual abuse generated by hundreds of AI, prosecutors said.
American Airlines initially allegedly negligently in a lawsuit involving a 9-year-old Texas victim who was allegedly secretly recorded in the plane’s bathroom, according to court documents. Following public backlash, airlines I said USA Today fired the legal team behind the lawsuit and replaced it with a new lawyer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn2qyaujsgy
Paul Llewellin, of Lewis & Llewellin’s law firm, representing the 14-year-old, responded to a guilty plea in a statement. Get By the AP.
“I’m happy to hear that an American Airlines flight attendant who preyed on at least five young girls because he was using the plane’s bathroom, has been found guilty of the crime he degraded,” he said. (Related: Exclusive: GOP Rep takes another shot by revitalizing the aviation industry that has been abused in the US)
American Airlines recently settled a lawsuit with the 14-year-old family, Llewellin told the outlet. Another lawsuit filed in the name of a nine-year-old is scheduled for trial in July.
The daily caller contacted American Airlines for comments, but the company did not respond before it was published.
