In a troubling reflection of increasing incidents of sexual assault on commercial flights, two men were sentenced Thursday for their roles in separate assaults on passengers during flights to Seattle. The cases highlight the ongoing concerns about passenger safety and the need for stricter enforcement against such predatory behavior.
Desmond Bostick, a resident of Federal Way, Washington, received a nine-month prison sentence for assault with intent to commit a felony. He pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement in April. Following his release, Bostick will serve three years of supervised release. Prosecutors detailed that during a flight from San Diego on June 20, 2023, Bostick repeatedly touched the thigh of a woman seated next to him and grabbed her buttocks as she attempted to let another passenger exit the row.
The victim reported his actions to the flight crew upon landing, leading to Bostick’s indictment by a federal grand jury in September. FBI agents arrested him on February 9, 2024. U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead expressed his disdain for Bostick’s actions, stating that to describe his conduct as a “lapse of judgment” would downplay the gravity of the offense.
In a separate case, Abhinav Kumar, 39, of India, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of abusive sexual contact following a three-day trial in May. Kumar was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on February 18 for allegedly groping the breast of a 17-year-old girl who was attempting to sleep on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Seattle. The victim described the assault as a “persistent, haunting presence” in her life, highlighting the lasting trauma caused by such violations.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman emphasized the seriousness of the cases, stating, “The Western District of Washington continues to see an increase in cases involving sexual assault aboard aircraft, and we have a zero-tolerance policy. These cases demonstrate that there are real consequences for this predatory behavior.”
