An American Airlines flight attendant, 36-year-old Estes Carter Thompson III, has been arrested and charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography. The arrest comes after Thompson allegedly attempted to surreptitiously record a minor female passenger using an aircraft lavatory during a September 2023 domestic United States flight from Charlotte to Boston.
According to charging documents, on September 2, 2023, Thompson targeted a 14-year-old female passenger midway through the flight. The minor victim had gone to use the lavatory, and Thompson allegedly approached her, claiming that the first-class lavatory was unoccupied. He escorted her toward first class, informed her of a broken toilet seat, and briefly entered the lavatory himself. After the minor victim exited, she discovered red stickers on the toilet seat lid, concealing Thompson’s iPhone, which was recording a video.
The victim promptly informed her parents, who reported the incident to the flight attendants, and subsequently, law enforcement was alerted. The victim’s father confronted Thompson, who locked himself in the lavatory with his iPhone for several minutes before the flight’s descent.
Upon arrival at Boston’s Logan Airport, law enforcement observed that Thompson’s iPhone may have been restored to factory settings. A subsequent search of Thompson’s suitcase revealed stickers similar to those observed by the minor victim. Further investigation into Thompson’s iCloud account uncovered four additional instances between January and August 2023 where he had recorded minors using the lavatory on other flights.
In addition to the charges related to the aircraft lavatory incidents, Thompson faces accusations of possessing over 50 images of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor taken pre-flight and while sleeping. Furthermore, authorities found hundreds of images of AI-generated child pornography stored on Thompson’s iCloud account.
If convicted, Thompson could face severe penalties. The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, while the charge of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years. Both charges also include supervised release, fines up to $250,000, and restitution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative coordinates efforts between federal, state, and local authorities to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in child exploitation.
In a statement, American Airlines said: “we take these allegations very seriously. They do not reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people. We have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation, as there is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team.”
