A man who sexually assaulted a passenger during a Spirit Airlines flight may face up to life in prison, reports NPR.
The man, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, was found guilty of digitally penetrating a 22-year-old woman while she was sleeping on the overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. The woman says she woke up when she felt Ramamoorthy's hand in her pants near her crotch area and saw that her shirt had been undone. Ramamoorthy's defense was that he was in "deep sleep" as a result of a pill he took but his wife, who was traveling with him on the same flight with their kids, said he took a "plain Tylenol." In a report filed by an FBI agent, obtained by The Washington Post, it states Ramamoorthy said "he 'might have' undone the woman's bra while playing with it, and that he had cupped her breasts over her clothes." He also "indicated he unzipped her pants partway and put his finger into her pants and tried to fondle her."
Now, as the federal jury found him guilty, Ramamoorthy, who's from India and in the United States on a work visa, could spend life in prison. If he gets a shorter sentence, he will be deported back to India after his sentence, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider's statement.
"The safety and security of all aircraft passengers is a priority for the FBI, our local and federal law enforcement partners, and airline carrier personnel," said FBI special agent of the Detroit Division, Timothy R. Slater. "The federal conviction of Prabhu Ramamoorthy demonstrates the FBI's commitment to hold individuals accountable for their actions on an aircraft, especially those who commit such a heinous crime."
