AUSTIN, Texas — The American Airlines flight attendant accused of filming underage girls during flights will be held in custody pending trial, according to the Associated Press.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, allegedly secretly filmed a 9-year-old girl in the bathroom of an American Airlines flight that left the Austin airport for Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2023.
During Thompson's initial appearance on Tuesday in a Boston federal court, the Associated Press stated Thompson agreed to voluntary confinement until trial. Thompson also did not enter a plea and a lawyer appointed to Thompson declined to say how he would plead.
In a previous statement, American Airlines said Thompson was "immediately withheld from service following the September 2023 incident" involving a 14-year-old on a flight to Boston and hasn't worked since.
During a search of Thompson's iCloud account, investigators allegedly found four additional instances where Thompson recorded a minor using a restroom on an aircraft. Those viewed in the recordings were 7, 9, 11, and 14 years old at the time, investigators said.
The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a sentence of between 15 and 30 years in prison. The charge of possessing child sexual abuse material depicting a prepubescent minor provides a sentence of between five to 20 years in prison.
Both charges also carry a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.
What happened on the flight from Austin?
The victim, referred to in the lawsuit as "Mary Doe," was traveling with her parents for a gymnastics competition in L.A. when she went to use the airplane restroom.
Before entering the restroom, Doe was allegedly stopped by Thompson, who said he needed to "clean up a mess" first. Thompson walked into the restroom, then exited and Doe went inside.
The lawsuit states that almost a year later, Doe's parents were informed by the FBI that Thompson had saved inappropriate photos and videos of their daughter to his iCloud account.
An affidavit filed in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, on Jan. 9, 2024, echoes the lawsuit's claims. The affidavit states that through an investigation of a similar alleged incident involving a 14-year-old girl on a flight to Boston in September 2023, FBI agents discovered that Thompson's iCloud account allegedly contained photos and videos of that teen and other underage girls.
The material allegedly also included footage of a 6-year-old girl on an August 2023 flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Denver; a 12-year-old girl on an August 2023 flight from Orlando, Florida, to Charlotte, North Carolina; a 14-year-old girl on a July 2023 flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Kansas City, Missouri; and a 9-year-old girl on a January 2023 flight from Austin to Los Angeles.
Thompson was arrested in Virginia on Jan. 18, 2024. He bonded out on Jan. 23.
Impacts of the alleged Austin incident
When asked about the flight, Mary Doe said she remembered the alleged encounter with Thompson. Her family is now suing for total costs, expenses and attorney fees of approximately $1 million.
Since this incident occurred, the lawsuit states that Doe has been experiencing mental health concerns, including PTSD, depression and anxiety. She has also been having insomnia and added emotional distress, with a fear of being alone in public and trouble focusing in school.
The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 6, 2024, with three causes of action: intrusion on seclusion; negligence; and negligent hiring, supervision or retention.
The first count is based on the fact Doe should have had a reasonable expectation of privacy while in the aircraft restroom. The second and third counts state indicate there was negligence on the part of American Airlines, as the company "has a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of its passenger-customers," according to the lawsuit.
Doe's family claims other flight attendants were aware Thompson was a danger to passengers, and he allegedly engaged in strange behaviors like cutting red tape and bringing it into the bathroom, stating there was a "mess" and telling Doe to wait outside before he entered.
The lawsuit claims American Airlines was negligent in its hiring process, and the family believes they should have known that Thompson had previously "engaged in inappropriate, sexual conduct" because Thompson had already allegedly "engaged in inappropriate, sexual conduct prior to his filming of Mary Doe."
In addition to various costs, Doe's family is also asking for a trial based on the severity of the circumstances.