A former American Airlines flight attendant has been sentenced to 18.5 years in prison for secretly recording young girls in an airplane bathroom.
Estes Carter Thompson III was handed the sentence on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston. He will also serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term. Judge Kobick described Thompson’s actions as “appalling,” noting that his crimes resulted in the loss of innocence for his child victims.
Thompson, who was arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, had placed a phone taped to the toilet seat lid of an aircraft lavatory, which was discovered by a 14-year-old girl during a flight. He was indicted on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material involving a prepubescent minor.
Authorities allege that Thompson recorded at least five girls, aged between 7 and 14, over a nine-month period using the same method.
In court, Thompson apologized for his actions, calling them “selfish, perverse, and wrong.”
A sentencing memorandum submitted by U.S. prosecutors stated that Thompson “robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world, leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness.”
Thompson is set to serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, where his attorneys say he plans to undergo sex offender-specific treatment. His legal team declined to comment further.
