BOSTON — A flight attendant accused of taping his iPhone to the toilet to record young girls using the airplane bathroom, including a girl on a Boston-bound flight, is expected to appear in a Massachusetts courtroom for his next court date.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals following his recent arrest, appeared in federal court in the Western District of Virginia for an initial appearance on Tuesday. He is charged with sexual exploitation of children and attempt and possession of child pornography depicting prepubescent minor and attempt, according to court documents.
A preliminary court date of Feb. 1 has been set in a Massachusetts court.
The minor victims, their families and attorneys were allowed to attend Tuesday’s court hearing in Virginia via Zoom. Thompson spent 20 minutes in court and was assigned a public defender. He waived any futured hearings in Virginia and requested a preliminary hearing in the prosecuting district of Massachusetts.
According to the court, Thompson wished to go back to Massachusetts for any further hearings, preliminary and detention. It was unclear Wednesday where he would be held in Massachusetts.
The family of teenage girl has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in the U.S. district court in North Carolina after the girl, then 14, found a cell phone taped to the back of a toilet seat on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston in September. The girl told her family, who reported the matter to other flight attendants onboard. They notified the captain, who in turn notified law enforcement on the ground.
Thompson was arrested Thursday in Lynchburg, Virginia.
A search of Thompson’s iCloud account allegedly revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using the lavatory on an aircraft, authorities said. According to court documents, the girls allegedly depicted in those recordings were seven, nine, 11 and 14 years old at the time.
Investigators also found over 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied girl in Thompson’s iCloud. The images included photos taken while the girl was seated in her seat pre-flight and close-ups of her face while sleeping.
Investigators also said they found hundreds of images of AI-generated child pornography stored on Thompson’s iCloud account.
“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,” Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement last week. “Everyone – especially children – should feel safe and secure as airline passengers, and parents should feel comfortable traveling with their children. Protecting children is a paramount priority for this office and we will aggressively investigate and hold accountable people who victimize children.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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