American Airlines flight attendant accused of secretly recording several underage girls, as young as 7, in plane bathroom

A former American Airlines flight attendant is accused of secretly recording several underage girls inside the bathrooms of planes he was working aboard. The victims of the alleged covert recordings were as young as 7 years old, according to authorities.

Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, was arrested on Thursday in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Thompson was charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. Thompson will later be transferred to Boston to appear in federal court.

Thompson is accused of recording videos of at least five underage girls while they were inside the bathroom during American Airlines flights.

The now-former American Airlines flight attendant was allegedly busted by a 14-year-old girl who purportedly discovered the hidden phone inside the plane's bathroom in September.

As Blaze News previously reported, a family was traveling on Sept. 2, 2023, from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston, Massachusetts.

A 14-year-old girl sitting in coach went to use the bathroom, but it was occupied. Thompson reportedly approached the minor and informed her that the lavatory in first-class was available. The flight attendant allegedly escorted the girl to the first-class bathroom but reportedly told her that he needed to wash his hands before she used the facilities.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said on Thursday, "It is alleged that, after Thompson exited the lavatory, the minor victim entered and observed red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, that stated, 'INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT' and 'REMOVE FROM SERVICE,' and 'SEAT BROKEN' was hand-written in black ink on one of the stickers. It is alleged that, beneath the red stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to record a video."

The teen reportedly entered the bathroom, noticed the concealed iPhone, and used her cell phone to take photos of the suspicious situation.

Thompson immediately re-entered the lavatory after the girl exited, according to authorities.

She returned to her seat and informed her parents of the hidden phone in the bathroom, according to charging documents.

The alleged victim's parents reported the incident to other members of the flight crew, who then notified the pilot. The pilot reported the accusations to law enforcement.

Court documents said the teenager's father confronted Thomspon, who then retreated to the lavatory with his iPhone for three to five minutes before the plane began to descend.

After the American Airlines plane touched down at Logan Airport in Boston, law enforcement said Thompson's iPhone may have been restored to factory settings. Authorities then searched Thompson's suitcase and reportedly discovered 11 stickers that read “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT” – like those alleged to be in the airplane bathroom.

A subsequent search of Thompson's iCloud account found videos of underage girls using airplane bathrooms on American Airlines flights between January and August 2023, court docs stated. Prosecutors claimed the other alleged victims were ages 7, 9, 11, and 14. The alleged victims had been identified and their families were contacted by law enforcement.

USA Today reported, "The search also uncovered hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse that had been generated by artificial intelligence, as well as more than 50 images of a 9-year-old girl who flew as an unaccompanied minor on an American Airlines flight, some of which Thompson took close up as she was sleeping, according to the complaint."

Following Thompson's arrest, American Airlines stressed that it takes "these allegations very seriously" and does not "reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people."

"We have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation as there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team," the airline said in a statement.

American Airlines said that the company fired Thompson in September.

“Today, the FBI arrested Estes Carter Thompson III after he repeatedly targeted unsuspecting children to sexually exploit them for his own gratification. What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful, and we believe, calculated, given that this alleged conduct occurred on at least five flights,” said Jodi Cohen — special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston field office.

"This case should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft and the sexual exploitation of children seriously," Cohen added. "If you’ve been the victim of a crime aboard an aircraft or have witnessed one take place, we ask you to report it to both your flight crew and the FBI.”

U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said, "The deeply disturbing conduct alleged here is something no parent or child should ever have to worry about when they travel. Mr. Thompson allegedly used his position to prey on and surreptitiously record innocent children, including unaccompanied minors, while in a vulnerable state aboard flights he was working."

The family of the 14-year-old girl sued American Airlines in December for not immediately confiscating Thompson's phone, which they claim allowed him to potentially “destroy evidence."

The family’s attorney, Paul Llewellyn, told the New York Post on Thursday, "It is also shocking to hear that he allegedly preyed on at least five minors while they were flying on American. While the criminal justice system must now run its course against the flight attendant, it remains to be seen whether American will finally take some measure of responsibility to the families for what happened. This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again.”

Thompson faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of attempted sexual exploitation of children and up to 20 years behind bars if convicted on the child pornography possession charge.

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