Additional charges filed against Delta pilot accused of child sexual abuse; 2nd suspect arrested
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said it filed a 24-count felony complaint in Superior Court Tuesday against Florida resident Rustom Bhagwagar, which includes charges of engaging in a sexual act with a child 10 years old or younger, aggravated sexual assault of a child, forceable lewd acts, and other sexual abuse charges.
The DA's Office said the crimes against the child happened between 2018 and 2023 in Contra Costa County.
In addition, authorities charged a 45-year-old woman in a related complaint with the same 24 felony counts. She was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility, according to jail records. The charges against both the woman and Bhagwagar carry terms of 15 years to life in state prison, the DA's Office said.
Because of the victim's age and the nature of the allegations, the DA's Office said the victim is not being named to protect her identity. CBS News Bay Area is not identifying the female suspect.
"Our office stands firmly committed to protecting children and holding those who cause harm accountable," said District Attorney Diana Becton in a prepared statement. "Every child deserves to feel safe, protected, and heard when an injustice like this occurs. By pursuing these cases vigorously, we not only seek justice for victims but also work to safeguard our entire community from those who would prey on children."
Bhagwagar was the co-pilot aboard Delta Flight 2809 when federal agents and Contra Costa Sheriff's deputies stormed the cockpit after the plane arrived at the gate upon landing at SFO Saturday evening, removing him in front of stunned passengers and crew members.
Bhagwagar is being held on $15 million bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. His arraignment is scheduled for 1:35 pm in Martinez on Wednesday.
Jail records do not show a bail amount for the female suspect.
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New York Times
15 hours ago
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Delta Pilot Is Charged With 24 Felonies in Child Sex Abuse Case
A Delta Air Lines pilot who was arrested on a plane after a flight last weekend was charged on Tuesday with 24 felony counts in connection with the sexual abuse of a child, the authorities in Northern California said. A woman was also charged in a related felony complaint, they said. Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested on Saturday night in the cockpit of a plane that he had just helped land at San Francisco International Airport. In front of the crew and passengers, a group of about 10 officers quickly boarded the aircraft, handcuffed Mr. Bhagwagar and escorted him off the plane, witnesses said. Jennifer Powell, 45, was also charged with 24 counts in a related felony complaint, the district attorney's office in Contra Costa County, Calif., said on Tuesday. The charges against Mr. Bhagwagar include engaging in sexual acts with a child under the age of 10, aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible lewd acts upon a child and oral copulation with a child, the district attorney's office said. The abuse occurred in Contra Costa County, the district attorney's office said. Mr. Bhagwagar is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on a $15 million bond. Ms. Powell is also being held at the Martinez Detention Facility. Mr. Bhagwagar is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday in Martinez, Calif. The charges in both complaints carry terms of 15 years to life in state prison. 'Our office stands firmly committed to protecting children and holding those who cause harm accountable,' Diana Becton, the Contra Costa County district attorney, said in a statement. 'Every child deserves to feel safe, protected and heard when an injustice like this occurs.' Detectives with the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office had been investigating Mr. Bhagwagar since April, the department said. After obtaining a warrant, sheriff's officers, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, arrested him aboard Delta Flight 2809 just after it landed at about 9:35 p.m. on a trip from Minneapolis. A passenger on the plane told The San Francisco Chronicle that several people with 'badges, guns and different agency vests/markings' had made their way up the aisle and into the cockpit, where they put one of the pilots in handcuffs and escorted him off the plane. The aviation blog View From the Wing published a short video showing several people with visible badges walking out of the plane's cockpit. In an emailed statement, Delta said it was 'appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest' and added that the pilot had been suspended pending an investigation. 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct,' it said.
New York Post
18 hours ago
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The ex-girlfriend of a Delta Airlines pilot hauled off a plane to be charged with child sex crimes has also been arrested — accused of joining in on the pilot's alleged abuse of her daughter, starting when the girl was just 6, according to charging documents. Jennifer Powell, 45, was charged Tuesday with allegedly joining his ex, Rustom Bhagawar, in sexually abusing her daughter — who did not live with her– from when she was 6 until she was 11, according to a probable cause statement obtained by KTVU. The mom not only knew her daughter was being abused, she watched — and even participated, according to the documents. Advertisement 3 Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was cuffed by federal officers Saturday night onboard Delta Flight 2809. Contra Costa Sheriff Bhagawar, 34, was detained in shocking scenes Saturday when federal agents swarmed his plane when it landed in San Francisco, removing him from the cockpit in handcuffs. Officials then revealed that the pilot faces 24 felony counts of engaging in sex acts with a child age 10 or under, as well as oral copulation, lewd acts and aggravated sexual assault, all on a child. Advertisement 3 The flight had just touched down in San Francisco from Minneapolis. X Powell is now also facing a slew of child sexual abuse charges — and both she and her pilot ex face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, the report said. Bhagwagar, of Florida, had been under investigation since April when Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office received a tip about child sex crimes. Delta confirmed that Bhagwagar has been suspended from the airline pending the investigation. Advertisement 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement,' a spokesperson told KTVU. 'We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.' 3 Federal agents were seen entering the cockpit to make the arrest, shocking crew and passengers. X Bhagwagar and Powell are both being held at the Martinez Detention Center on a $15 million bond. Bhagwagar is scheduled to be arraigned on July 30. 'Our office stands firmly committed to protecting children and holding those who cause harm accountable,' District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. 'Every child deserves to feel safe, protected, and heard when an injustice like this occurs.'
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