Estes Carter Thompson III, a former American Airlines flight attendant, has admitted to secretly filming young girls in airplane bathrooms.
The 27-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He now faces up to 20 years in prison.
The disturbing details unfolded on a flight from Charlotte to Boston in September 2023.
According to JPost, a 14-year-old girl noticed strange red stickers on the toilet seat, with handwritten messages like "REMOVE FROM SERVICE."
Hidden beneath these stickers was Thompson's iPhone, recording. The girl, thankfully, took photos and showed them to her parents.
Her father confronted Thompson, who then locked himself in the bathroom with his phone for several minutes. When the plane landed, authorities discovered Thompson had reset his phone. However, a search of his luggage revealed 11 more of the same stickers.
The former American Airlines flight attendant who filmed at least 5 young girls pleads guilty in federal court and is scheduled to be sentenced in June. But don’t you remember that American Airlines initially blamed the 14 year old girl? pic.twitter.com/VIta1oITPs
— • ᗰISᑕᕼIᗴᖴ ™ • (@4Mischief) March 8, 2025
Flight Attendant's iCloud Shows Disturbing Images of Child Exploitation
An investigation of Thompson's iCloud account uncovered a pattern of abuse. He had recorded other young girls, aged 7 to 14, on four separate flights between January and August 2023.
Authorities also found over 50 images of a 9-year-old girl flying alone, including "pre-flight and close-ups of her face while she was sleeping," according to prosecutors.
Even more disturbing, they discovered numerous AI-generated images depicting child sexual abuse, Local12 said.
US Attorney Leah DB Foley's office stated that Thompson was charged with the federal crimes, and that the iCloud account revealed the extent of the crimes.
A plea deal indicates Thompson faces "maximum prison terms of 30 years for one count and 20 years for the other, and that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 15-20 years behind bars." Thompson's public defender, Scott Lauer, said, "I expect the defense will seek a 15-year sentence."
"It makes you sick to your stomach," a frequent flyer said in an online comment section. "You think your kids are safe on a plane, and then something like this happens."
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17th. Prosecutors will also recommend five years of supervised release and that he "be ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at the sentencing hearing."
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