A former flight attendant for American Airlines has admitted to secretly recording or attempting to record a minor female passenger in an aircraft lavatory. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, from Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. The sentencing is set for June 17, 2025, by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick.
The incident occurred on September 2, 2023, during a flight from Charlotte to Boston. Thompson reportedly recorded or tried to record a 14-year-old girl using the lavatory by concealing his iPhone under stickers marked "INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT" and "REMOVE FROM SERVICE." The victim informed her parents after noticing the phone and was confronted by her father before locking himself in the lavatory with his phone.
Upon arrival at Logan Airport in Boston, authorities discovered that Thompson had reset his iPhone to factory settings. A search revealed additional recordings of minors between January and August 2023 on Thompson's iCloud account. These included images of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor and AI-generated images depicting child sexual abuse.
All involved minors have been identified and their families contacted by law enforcement. The charges against Thompson carry potential sentences ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment along with fines and supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the case alongside Jodi Cohen from the FBI's Boston Division and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum is prosecuting.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide.