Former American Airlines Flight Attendant Faces Federal Child Pornography Charges

The Allegations and Arrest

A former American Airlines flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, has been arrested and faces federal child pornography charges. The charges stem from allegations that he attempted to secretly film a 14-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom and possessed videos of other young girls using lavatories aboard the planes he worked on. The US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced the charges, which include one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor.

Estes Carter Thompson

Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston field office, described the alleged conduct as disgraceful and calculated, noting that the incidents occurred on at least five flights. Thompson was arrested in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is currently held in custody until his initial court appearance in the Western District of Virginia. He will later appear in federal court in Boston.

American Airlines stated that Thompson was immediately withheld from service after the incident and has not worked for the airline since. The company emphasized that they take these allegations very seriously and have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation, prioritizing the safety and security of their customers and team.

The Alleged Incident

The incident in question reportedly took place on a September 2023 flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston. According to prosecutors, Thompson, while working as a flight attendant, attempted to film the 14-year-old girl in the main cabin bathroom. He allegedly escorted her to a first-class bathroom, claiming it was available, and entered the bathroom briefly, purportedly to wash his hands and alerting the girl to a broken toilet seat.

After Thompson left the bathroom, the girl discovered red stickers on the underside of the open toilet seat lid, indicating 'INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT' and 'REMOVE FROM SERVICE.' It is alleged that Thompson had concealed his iPhone beneath these stickers to record a video. The girl took a picture of the concealed phone and informed her parents, who then alerted other flight attendants and the plane’s captain. Law enforcement was subsequently notified, and the plane’s descent was interrupted for investigation.

Further Investigations and Findings

Following the incident, authorities found 11 stickers similar to those in the airplane bathroom inside Thompson’s suitcase upon the plane’s arrival at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Additionally, a search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four recordings of children between the ages of seven and 14 using the restroom on an aircraft. These recordings were filmed between January and August the previous year.

Thompson, who is from North Carolina, will remain in custody until his initial court appearance in the Western District of Virginia. It is noted that CNN has been unable to determine if Thompson has legal representation at this time.