Delta co-pilot's ex-girlfriend joined him in sexually abusing her underage daughter, prosecutors say
Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested by Contra Costa County detectives on Saturday after his flight, Delta 2809, touched down at San Francisco International Airport from Minneapolis.
Now, not only has the disgraced pilot been charged in connection with the alleged crimes, but the child's mother, Jennifer Powell, has been as well.
Powell, 45, was charged for her alleged involvement in the crimes that took place between 2018 and 2023, the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office announced.
Powell knew Bhagwagar was sexually abusing her child, and even watched and participated in the alleged sex crimes, court documents reviewed by Fox2 revealed.
According to prosecutors, the alleged abuse started when the girl was just six and went on until she was 11, which was around the time Powell and Bhagwagar split.
The sheriff's office started looking into the co-pilot in April 'after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child,' the agency previously told Daily Mail.
The girl did not live with her mother at the time, authorities said. It is unclear if the victim is biologically related to Bhagwagar.
Both Bhagwagar and Powell face 24 felony charges, including engaging in a sexual act with a child 10 years old or younger, oral copulation with a child, forcible lewd acts upon a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child, court records show.
They are both being held on a $15 million bond and are due in court Wednesday.
Bhagwager, of Homestead, Florida, was seen in his mugshot wearing his pilot uniform and a stone-faced expression.
In now-viral video footage, plain clothed Homeland Security investigators were seen swarming the aircraft before arresting Bhagwagar.
They were assisting the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department after receiving a tip about alleged child sex crimes, a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security told Daily Mail.
A Ramey arrest warrant, which is issued by a judge before criminal charges are filed, was then served to the suspect.
Federal Aviation records viewed by Daily Mail reveal Bhagwagar was licensed to fly a Boeing 757-300 – the type of plane used for the Delta 2809 flight on Saturday evening.
After the first set of agents slapped handcuffs on Bhagwager, a second team returned to the plane to collect his personal belongings, the viral clip showed.
The arrest appeared to shock the other employees on the flight, including the remaining pilot.
That pilot, who has not been identified, 'had no idea what just happened,' View from the Wing reported.
Passengers were also left in awe, as one recalled asking a member of the flight crew what was happening.
'I looked at him and said "What's going on?" He said, "I have no idea,"' the passenger told Fox 9.
'And he genuinely looked like this was a surprise, that all of a sudden there was people on the plane, because he had us stand up, we were starting to take our stuff out for arrival and everybody was already in the overhead bin.'
A spokesman for Delta Air Lines told Daily Mail: 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement.
The agents were seen wearing law enforcement badges around their necks and their faces cropped out of the now-viral footage
'We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.'
District Attorney Diana Becton said her office is 'firmly committed to protecting children and holding those who cause harm accountable.'
She added: '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.'
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