- By Supratik Das
- Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A former American Airlines flight attendant has been sentenced to 18 and a half years in federal prison for illegally recording videos of young girls while they used airplane restrooms on domestic flights. Estes Carter Thompson III, 38, Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced by a Boston court on July 23, 2025, almost one year since a 14-year-old girl spotted his secret recording device on the toilet seat aboard a flight from Charlotte to Boston.
As per the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, the alarming incident was revealed on September 2, 2023. The 14-year-old female traveler, who was accompanied by her parents, was taken to a lavatory in first class by Thompson on the excuse that the lavatory in the main cabin was being used. Before she was able to make use of the lavatory, Thompson said that he had to "wash his hands" and threatened that the toilet seat was "broken." In there, the girl found an iPhone taped underneath red maintenance stickers stating "INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT" and "SEAT BROKEN." She quietly took pictures of the arrangement and warned her parents, prompting other members of the crew and the captain to take action immediately. When they caught him, Thompson closed himself in the lavatory and tried to delete evidence by resetting his phone to factory settings.
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A subsequent forensic search of Thompson's iCloud account subsequently uncovered he had covertly recorded at least four other females, aged between 7 and 14, employing similar covert camera techniques on flights operated between January and August 2023. Prosecutors also discovered hundreds of images of AI-generated child sexual abuse in his electronic storage, amplifying the charges. Thompson pleaded guilty this year to attempted child sex exploitation and possession of child pornography showing a prepubescent minor.
Boston US District Judge Julia Kobick at sentencing denounced Thompson's "appalling" exploits. "The innocence of these children has been lost forever," the judge explained. Prosecutors contended that Thompson specifically abused the confidence in his position as a flight attendant, targeting vulnerable youths during flights, manipulating them into compromising situations, and recording them during one of their most intimate moments.
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American Airlines confirmed that Thompson's employment was canceled shortly after the September 2023 incident and stated it actively cooperated with law enforcement. The airline was subsequently sued by the family of the 14-year-old victim, who alleged that the airline did not provide for the safety of the passengers and should have known Thompson was a threat. The airline, as per local reports, settled with the family in February 2024.
In addition to 18 and a half years in prison, Thompson was sentenced to serve five years on supervised release and receive sex offender treatment at FMC Butner in North Carolina. All the identified victims during the investigation have been informed, and the families have been provided with support services.