Boston
AP
–
A flight attendant accused of recording his cell phone on the lid of a plane’s toilet to secretly film the young girl was sentenced to just under 20 years in prison on Wednesday.
Carter Thompson III, former American Airlines flight attendant Estes, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by a five-year supervised release. Boston US District Court Judge Julia Covic called his actions “courtizing” and said that because of his actions “the innocence of the child has been lost.”
Thompson was arrested and charged in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was charged last year with one count of attempts to sexually exploit a child and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a secondary minor.
He apologised in court Wednesday, describing his actions as “selfish, evil and wrong.”
Police alleged that Thompson, Charlotte, North Carolina, used an aircraft bathroom for nine months to record four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14.
In a memorandum of the ruling filed in court, a US government lawyer said Thompson “takes five young girls away from their innocence and the people they encounter in it, leaving them with fear, distrust, anxiety and sadness.”
Thompson, who will be sentenced to N.C. FMC Butner, is planning to receive treatment specific to sex offenders, his lawyer said. Thompson’s lawyer said in an email Wednesday that he would not comment.
