BOSTON (BN24) — A former American Airlines flight attendant has been sentenced to 18.5 years in federal prison for secretly recording girls in an airplane bathroom, a case prosecutors say involved “appalling” violations of trust and privacy at 30,000 feet.
Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced Wednesday in Boston federal court after pleading guilty to attempting to sexually exploit children and possessing child sexual abuse material. Judge Julia Kobick handed down the prison term, followed by five years of supervised release, saying Thompson’s conduct had left his young victims with lasting emotional scars.
“Their innocence has been lost,” the judge said, citing the disturbing nature of the offenses and the trust Thompson violated in his role as a crew member.
The investigation began in January 2024 after a 14-year-old girl traveling on a flight Thompson was working discovered his cellphone taped to the toilet lid inside the lavatory. Authorities later found multiple videos of girls between the ages of 7 and 14 recorded using aircraft restrooms over a nine-month span.
Thompson was indicted on charges that included attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of explicit material involving a prepubescent child. In court, he expressed remorse, calling his actions “selfish, perverse and wrong.”
According to a sentencing memo, prosecutors said Thompson “robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world,” noting the psychological toll the violations had on the victims and their families.
Thompson, 38, will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, where his defense attorneys say he intends to participate in sex offender-specific treatment. His legal team declined to comment further after sentencing.
