The man is alleged to have recordings of four other girl passengers, according to officials.
DALLAS — A former American Airlines flight attendant agreed to plead guilty to two felony charges after secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom, court records show.
The former flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, of North Carolina, agreed to plead guilty Thursday to charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a minor, according to court documents obtained by WFAA.
Federal officials alleged Thompson secretly recorded a 14-year-old girl in the bathroom on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston in September of 2023.
A federal grand jury in Massachusetts indicted Thompson on one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography in April, federal officials said. Thompson faces between 180 and 240 months in prison, according to the plea agreement obtained by WFAA.
An attorney representing two of Thompson’s alleged victims told WFAA that sentencing is set for June 17, and Thompson will remain in custody in the meantime.
WFAA sister station WCNC in Charlotte reported Thompson previously pleaded not guilty to both charges in federal court, and his new plea agreement comes within weeks of Fort Worth-based American Airlines and the family of the girl settling a lawsuit.
Thompson also allegedly had recordings of four other girl passengers in his possession, including, as WFAA previously reported, a 9-year-old Texas girl, who was alleged to have been recorded on a flight from Austin to Los Angeles.
”We are pleased to hear that the American Airlines flight attendant who preyed on at least five young girls as they used the airplane bathroom has pled guilty for his depraved crimes. We commend the US Attorney’s Office for its work on the criminal case in bringing this felon to justice,” attorney Paul Llewellyn, who’s representing two of the girls, said in a statement.
Thompson was arrested in January of 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia and has been in federal custody since, federal officials said.
