Latest news with #flightattendant
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Flight attendant who police say secretly recorded girls in airplane bathroom sentenced to 18.5 years
A flight attendant accused of taping his cell phone to the lid of an airplane toilet to secretly film young girls was sentenced to just under 20 years in prison Wednesday. Former American Airlines flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III received a sentence of 18.5 years, followed by five years of supervised release. Boston US District Court Judge Julia Kobick called his behavior 'appalling' and said child victims' 'innocence has been lost' because of his actions. Thompson was arrested and charged in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, after authorities said a 14-year-old girl on his flight discovered his secret recording setup in the lavatory. He was indicted last year on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor. He apologized in court Wednesday, describing his actions as 'selfish, perverse and wrong.' Police alleged Thompson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14 using aircraft lavatories over a 9-month period. In a sentencing memorandum submitted in court, US government attorneys said Thompson 'robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness.' Thompson, who will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, intends to undergo sex offender-specific treatment, his attorneys said. A lawyer for Thompson said via email Wednesday he wouldn't be commenting.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Flight attendant who police say secretly recorded girls in airplane bathroom sentenced to 18.5 years
A flight attendant accused of taping his cell phone to the lid of an airplane toilet to secretly film young girls was sentenced to just under 20 years in prison Wednesday. Former American Airlines flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III received a sentence of 18.5 years, followed by five years of supervised release. Boston US District Court Judge Julia Kobick called his behavior 'appalling' and said child victims' 'innocence has been lost' because of his actions. Thompson was arrested and charged in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, after authorities said a 14-year-old girl on his flight discovered his secret recording setup in the lavatory. He was indicted last year on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor. He apologized in court Wednesday, describing his actions as 'selfish, perverse and wrong.' Police alleged Thompson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14 using aircraft lavatories over a 9-month period. In a sentencing memorandum submitted in court, US government attorneys said Thompson 'robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness.' Thompson, who will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, intends to undergo sex offender-specific treatment, his attorneys said. A lawyer for Thompson said via email Wednesday he wouldn't be commenting.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How to find the best French cheese for you: an expert's guide to cheese shopping in France
While flying to Europe, I like to ask flight attendants about their favourite haunts in the destination city. Whether it is their hometown or a place they fly to regularly, they know where to eat and shop. However, when one such conversation turned to Paris cheese stores, an airline employee told me that she often leaves empty-handed. 'I'm always so intimidated,' she said. I used to be daunted, too, but after a decade of spending at least three months of the year in France, I approach each cheese counter as a new adventure. During my travels throughout the country, I have made a hobby of sampling regional cheeses at their point of origin and, in some cases, visiting the village from which a particular variety gets its name. One of the more memorable stops, in the Auvergne region of south-central France, was Saint-Nectaire. My mission: to buy this nutty-flavoured, semi-soft cheese directly from a producer. By following road signs for the Route des Fromages, or cheese route, I found one whose family had been in the business for eight generations. Like others in the area, they sold the cheese only by the wheel, which weighed several pounds each. Before committing to the €17 (US$20) purchase, I asked for a taste. The vendor obliged, using a tool called a sonde, which drilled into the centre of the cheese to extract a slender, creamy, smooth ivory sample.
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Former flight attendant sentenced to 18.5 years after secretly recording girls in airplane bathrooms
A flight attendant accused of taping his cellphone to the lid of an airplane toilet to secretly film young girls was sentenced to just under 20 years in prison Wednesday. Former American Airlines flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III received a sentence of 18.5 years, followed by five years of supervised release. Boston U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick called his behavior "appalling" and said child victims' "innocence has been lost" because of his actions. Thompson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested and charged after authorities said a 14-year-old girl on his flight discovered his secret recording setup in the lavatory. According to investigators, the girl got up to use the main cabin lavatory nearest to her seat during a Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston but found it was occupied. Thompson told her the first-class lavatory was unoccupied and escorted her there, investigators said. She told investigators that before she entered the bathroom, Thompson told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken. After he left, the teen entered the bathroom and saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, officials said, with the words written in black ink and all caps, "inoperative catering equipment," "remove from service," and "seat broken." Beneath the stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her phone to take a picture of the stickers and concealed iPhone before leaving. American Airlines said following his arrest that Thompson was "immediately withheld from service" and hadn't worked for the airline since the phone was discovered. Thompson pleaded guilty in March to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor. He apologized in court Wednesday, describing his actions as "selfish, perverse and wrong." Police alleged Thompson had recordings of four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14 using aircraft lavatories over a 9-month period. In a sentencing memorandum submitted in court, U.S. government attorneys said Thompson "robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness." Thompson, who will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, intends to undergo sex offender-specific treatment, his attorneys said. A lawyer for Thompson said via email Wednesday he wouldn't be commenting.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Flight Attendant Who Filmed Minors in Lavatory Is Sentenced to 18.5 Years
A former American Airlines flight attendant who used his cellphone to secretly record girls as they used the lavatory on flights was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 and a half years in prison, federal prosecutors said. From January 2023 to September 2023, the flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, N.C., secretly filmed girls using the restroom on American Airlines flights, the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Massachusetts said in a sentencing memo. He would direct them to specific lavatories where he had set up 'a secret recording studio,' using his cellphone, the memo said. 'He robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity and sadness,' Leah B. Foley, the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, wrote in the sentencing memo. Federal prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 20 years in prison, with five years of supervised release. Elianna J. Nuzum, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Scott Lauer, a lawyer for Mr. Thompson, had recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, citing his substance abuse, mental health issues and lack of a criminal history. Mr. Lauer declined to comment on Wednesday night. Mr. Thompson was arrested in January 2024 and pleaded guilty in March 2025 to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor, federal prosecutors said. In handing down the sentence on Wednesday, Judge Julia E. Kobick called Mr. Thompson's behavior 'appalling' and said the victims' 'innocence has been lost' because of his actions, The Associated Press reported. Judge Kobick recommended that Mr. Thompson serve his sentence at a federal prison in Butner, N.C., and that he participate in substance abuse and sex offender treatment programs. Mr. Thompson was also sentenced to five years supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. According to The A.P., Mr. Thompson apologized in court on Wednesday and said his actions were 'selfish, perverse and wrong.' According to prosecutors' sentencing memo, Mr. Thompson was working as a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight to Boston from Charlotte on Sept. 2, 2023, when he tried to record a 14-year-old girl using the bathroom during the flight. The girl was waiting for a bathroom in the main cabin when Mr. Thompson told her she could use the first-class bathroom and escorted her to the front of the plane. He informed her that the toilet seat in the bathroom was broken. The girl noticed red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid that read 'INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT' with 'SEAT BROKEN' handwritten on one of the stickers. It wasn't until after she used the toilet and went to flush that she noticed an iPhone with its flashlight on underneath the stickers, according to court documents. The girl took a picture of the phone and told her parents, who told the crew. Her father confronted Mr. Thompson, who took his phone into a bathroom and restored the device to factory settings, wiping it clean, the document said. In searching Mr. Thompson's iCloud account, investigators found evidence of four additional episodes in which Mr. Thompson recorded a minor using the lavatory on American Airlines flights in 2023, the document said. They also found 50 images of a sixth child who flew as an unaccompanied minor on a flight in July 2023. Those included pictures of the child sleeping and of her clothed buttocks, as well as hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse that had been generated by artificial intelligence. Investigators also found 11 'INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT' stickers in Mr. Thompson's suitcase, along with numerous copies of American Airlines forms pertaining to unaccompanied minors, the documents said. Mr. Thompson was immediately removed from service after the September flight, American Airlines said after his arrest.
