A former flight attendant for American Airlines has been sentenced to 18.5 years in federal prison for secretly recording minor female passengers in aircraft lavatories. Estes Carter Thompson III, aged 38 from Charlotte, North Carolina, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick, along with five years of supervised release.
Thompson had previously pleaded guilty to charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. “Mr. Thompson took advantage of his position of trust as a flight attendant to exploit innocent children,” stated United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.
The case came to light when a 14-year-old girl reported suspicious activity during an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston on September 2, 2023. Thompson had allegedly attached his iPhone under the toilet seat lid using stickers marked “INOPERATIVE EQUIPMENT” and set it to record before entering the lavatory himself.
Upon arrival at Logan Airport in Boston, authorities found similar stickers in Thompson’s suitcase. A search of his iCloud account revealed four additional instances where he recorded minors using aircraft lavatories between January and August 2023 on various flights.
FBI Special Agent Ted E. Docks remarked on the bravery of the young girl who thwarted Thompson’s plans: “This flight attendant’s disgraceful actions robbed five young girls of their innocence.”
Colonel Geoffrey Noble commended the quick action taken by Massachusetts State Police Troopers assigned to Logan Airport: “Their diligence and proactive collaboration with FBI Boston stopped this individual from continuing a sustained pattern of child exploitation.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum and is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
