Flight Attendant Pleads Guilty to Secretly Recording Girl in Plane Bathroom With Hidden iPhone

Last week, a former American Airlines flight attendant pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.

The plea comes after a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Estes Carter Thompson III (37) in April of last year. Between January 2023 and September 2023, Thompson recorded at least five girls between the ages of 7 and 14 in airplane bathrooms. According to prosecutors, Thompson’s iCloud account contained hundreds of AI generated images of child sexual abuse, as well as photos of the girls involved. Thompson will be sentenced June 17 and faces up to 30 years in prison. He’s been in custody since his arrest in January 2024.

Thompson’s predatory antics were finally put to an end on September 2, 2023, when a 14-year-old girl tried to use the bathroom on a flight from Charlotte to Boston. The bathroom was occupied. Thompson then escorted the girl to the first-class bathroom. After washing his hands and telling the girl the toilet seat was broken, she walked in and saw this. And took a picture.

If you guessed there’s an iPhone taped under the “Inoperative Catering Equipment / Remove From Service” sticker with “Seat Broken” written across it, you’re right. And is the flashlight on, too? Making any jokes wouldn’t be right given the seriousness of the charges and the victims’ ages. Fortunately, this dude gets an F in spycraft.

After taking a picture, the 14-year-old also told her dad. This dad deserves a tip of the cap for showing some restraint and not ending up taped to a seat himself. After being confronted, Thompson reportedly locked himself in the bathroom for a few minutes. According to law enforcement, he emerged with his iPhone restored to factory settings.

In addition to up to 15-30 years in prison, a judge may also order supervised release for up to five years at the conclusion of his time served, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution. Hopefully, Thompson’s arrest and sentencing will bring some peace to the victims and their families. One interesting note we’re looking into is the mention of child abuse images generated with artificial intelligence found in Thompson’s iCloud. This is a huge problem. The Internet Watch Foundation and Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse have already issued warnings and reports on this issue, which is reported to be widespread.