Estes Carter Thompson III, the now-disgraced crew member from North Carolina, pleaded guilty in a Massachusetts federal court to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. Following the plea, he was sentenced to serve 222 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Who: Estes Carter Thompson III, ex-American Airlines flight attendant

• What: Secretly recorded a 14-year-old girl in a first-class lavatory

• Sentence: 18.5 years in federal prison, plus 5 years of supervised release

• Victims: Five girls, aged 7 to 14, allegedly filmed during flights

• Evidence: iPhone hidden under red stickers, 11 similar stickers found in luggage

• Defense Claim: First-time offender, remorseful, seeking rehabilitation

The case came to light when the 14-year-old victim discovered a hidden iPhone in the first-class lavatory after she had partially undressed. She had initially been waiting to use the main cabin restroom when Thompson suggested she use the one in first class instead. Before letting her enter, he claimed the toilet seat was broken and insisted on going in first to wash his hands.

Inside the bathroom, she noticed unusual red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid with labels like “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT” and “REMOVE FROM SERVICE.” One sticker had “SEAT BROKEN” written in black ink. Hidden beneath them, however, was a recording device—the flash of Thompson’s iPhone visibly on.

Alarmed, the teenager snapped a photo of the device and informed her parents. According to the FBI affidavit, she was “visibly shaking” when she later reported the discovery to another flight attendant. Her father confronted Thompson, who, in a suspicious act, locked himself in the lavatory with the phone for three to five minutes shortly before the flight began its descent into Boston.

Upon landing at Logan International Airport, local police intervened. Authorities noted that Thompson’s phone appeared to have been reset to factory settings. In his luggage, they found 11 stickers identical to those used in the first-class lavatory—suggesting the setup may have been premeditated and possibly used on other occasions.

A deeper investigation followed, including a forensic search of Thompson’s iCloud account. Federal agents uncovered four additional recordings of underage female passengers using airplane lavatories. The minor victims allegedly recorded were aged seven, nine, eleven, and fourteen.

The digital search also revealed more than 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied minor. These included candid shots while the child was seated pre-flight and close-ups of her face as she slept. Prosecutors asserted that Thompson used his position of authority to gain access and select vulnerable young passengers on board.

In their sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors didn’t hold back in describing the calculated nature of Thompson’s actions.

“Estes Carter Thompson III took advantage of his position of trust as a flight attendant to select among the passengers on his flights innocent children who he could exploit,” they wrote.

“Directing them to an aircraft bathroom that he had set up as a secret recording studio, he filmed the children’s bodies during one of their most private moments—and then stored, edited, and revisited those videos for his own sexual gratification.”

They went on to emphasize the psychological damage done to the young girls:

“In so doing, he robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness.”

Thompson’s defense attorney, however, portrayed a more humanized version of the defendant.

“He is a first-time offender, deeply remorseful, and amenable to rehabilitative efforts,” the public defender wrote.

“He fully acknowledges the wrongfulness of his conduct and is remorseful for the harm he has caused. At the same time, he has also come to view this arrest as a much-needed intervention and opportunity to address the corrosive behaviors which resulted in his offenses.”

The defense claimed that Thompson had since achieved sobriety and was committed to undergoing treatment tailored for sex offenders.

“Now sober and with a better appreciation of the need for sex offender-specific treatment,” they added, “Mr. Thompson intends to avail himself of necessary rehabilitative services to the fullest extent possible.”

While the defense requested the lower end of the sentencing range—15 years—the court handed down a sentence just shy of the prosecution’s request for the full 20 years. The result is a lengthy prison term that underscores the federal judiciary’s growing intolerance for crimes involving child exploitation and abuse of public trust.

This case serves as a sobering reminder of how authority and access—especially in positions meant to ensure safety and care—can be manipulated to harm the most vulnerable. Investigators emphasized the role of swift reporting by the victim and her parents, which ultimately led to the exposure of a much broader pattern of misconduct.

The incident has also prompted internal safety reviews across airlines, raising new questions about how to protect minors traveling alone or with families. Though justice has been served in court, the trauma experienced by the victims is likely to leave a long-lasting imprint.

The sentencing of Estes Carter Thompson III marks a chilling reminder of how power and proximity can be abused in the most unexpected places—even thousands of feet above ground. While justice has been served through a lengthy prison term, the emotional scars left on the young victims speak louder than any courtroom verdict. This case not only exposes the vulnerabilities within air travel security but also raises urgent questions about passenger safety, especially for minors. As the aviation industry reflects, the public watches—demanding both accountability and trust restored in the skies.

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