American Airlines flight attendant pleads guilty to secretly recording underage girl in plane bathroom
Man pleads guilty for plane bathroom recordings
A former American Airlines flight attendant pleaded guilty to charges that he secretly recorded an underage girl in an airplane bathroom. Police say he had recordings of other girls in similar situations.
DALLAS - A former American Airlines flight attendant pleaded guilty to charges that he secretly recorded an underage girl in an airplane bathroom.
Police say he had recordings of other girls in similar situations.
Estes Carter Thompson III pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children, and attempt; and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor, and attempt. (Lynchburg Detention Center)
What we know:
Estes Thompson III pleaded guilty to two felony charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography on Thursday.
The now-fired flight attendant has been under investigation for incidents involving five child victims. One of them was from a Texas flight.
The backstory:
The DOJ said Thompson was working as a flight attendant on Sept. 2, 2023, onboard an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston when he allegedly attempted to record a 14-year-old female passenger as she used the lavatory on the aircraft.
The North Carolina teenager got up to use the main cabin bathroom mid-flight, which was occupied. While waiting to use the bathroom, Thompson reportedly told her the restroom in first-class was unoccupied, then escorted her there.
Before entering the bathroom, the DOJ said Thompson told her he needed to wash his hands, adding that the toilet seat was broken.
Lawsuit: Flight attendant recorded kids with cellphone
A Texas family said a former American Airlines flight attendant secretly recorded their daughter in an airplane bathroom. The family from Austin is now suing him and the airline after they learned their child may be among his victims.
When Thompson exited the bathroom, the young girl walked in and saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat propped up in the open position, which read "inoperative catering equipment," "removed from service," and "seat broken."
The DOJ alleges that Thompson concealed his iPhone beneath the stickers to record the young girl.
The victim snapped a picture of the red stickers and the iPhone before exiting.
Thompson then allegedly entered the bathroom right away.
After returning to her seat, the girl showed her parents the picture, and they relayed the incident to other flight attendants, who notified the captain.
The girl’s father allegedly confronted Thompson during the flight, and the DOJ said he went to the bathroom and locked himself inside with his iPhone for three to five minutes before the plane descended.
The captain notified law enforcement officials about the incident, and when the plane landed at Boston’s Logan airport, Thompson was arrested.
The family of the 14-year-old girl, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview that their daughter is "very angry" and "shocked" that someone violated her privacy on the flight. (Provided)
Law enforcement officials reported that Thompson’s phone may have been restored to factory settings before he was taken into custody.
The DOJ alleges that the suspect’s suitcase contained 11 "inoperative catering equipment" stickers like those seen on the back of the toilet seat.
More Recordings Discovered
Dig deeper:
When officials searched Thompson’s iCloud account, they allegedly found four instances between January and August 2023 when Thompson recorded minors using the lavatory on the aircraft, and the victims’ ages were 7, 9, 11 and 14.
He also allegedly had over 50 images of an Austin 9-year-old unaccompanied minor on his iCloud, in which the child was captured sitting in the seat and sleeping. Her parents say she was heading to Disney World.
The DOJ also claimed Thompson’s iCloud account contained hundreds of images of AI-generated pornography.
In May 2024, American Airlines was doing damage control following a court filing in which its lawyers appeared to blame a 9-year-old girl for being secretly recorded in a bathroom.
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Sentencing
What's next:
The guilty plea is for the criminal side of the case.
Thompson faces between 15 and 20 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine, according to federal court documents.
He will also have to register as a sex offender.
Thompson will be sentenced on June 17, 2025. He will remain in custody until then.
The Lawsuits
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: American Airlines, flight attendant accused of recording girls in bathroom facing new lawsuit
Another potential victim of a former American Airlines flight attendant accused of secretly recording girls in airplane bathrooms learned of the alleged crime from the FBI.
Paul Llewellyn represents the families of the 9-year-old and 14-year-old, who are suing Thompson and American Airlines in separate filings.
"I commend the U.S. Attorney's Office for bringing this felon to justice, and I think we can all sleep a bit safer knowing he's hopefully going to remain behind bars for a long time. And to the American people, be safe out there when you fly," he said.
"[The families] they were pleased that he has taken some measure of responsibility for what happened. But at the same time, this can't always… it can't undo the past. It can't make up for the awful experience that they've been to while flying on American Airlines," he continued.
Lewellyn said his North Carolina client has settled with American in a civil lawsuit.
The Texas lawsuit remains pending, and a jury trial is set to commence this summer.
The Source: Information in this article is from Lewis & Llewellyn LLP, federal court documents and previous FOX Digital coverage.