Man accused of assaulting two women on Red Eye flight to Boston pleads guilty

A California man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two women on a Los Angeles-Boston flight last spring, officials say.

On Monday, Jairaj Singh Dhillon, 43, of Modesto, pleaded guilty in federal court to assaulting the women aboard a Red-Eye flight on May 31, 2022, according to the office of Suffolk County Prosecutor Rachel Rollins . He was charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact in June 2022.

Prosecutors said that during the night flight, Dhillon had unwanted sexual contact with two female passengers seated next to him.

The first victim said Dhillon, who was sitting in the aisle seat next to her, touched her thigh and groin as she cared for her baby, who was in a car seat on the seat window side next to her, according to the statement. .

Officials said the woman called for help and said out loud, “This man just groped me.”

The second victim, a woman sitting in the aisle seat across from Dhillon, said Dhillon reached out with both hands and simultaneously grabbed her groin and buttocks as she stood in the driveway, according to the statement.

The flight crew intervened and moved Dhillon to another area of ​​the aircraft for the remainder of the flight. Authorities immediately arrested him when the flight arrived at Boston Logan International Airport, officials said.

Dhillon is due to be sentenced on June 14. He faces up to six months in prison, up to a year of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.

The FBI office in Boston said it investigates crimes aboard planes and regularly responds to landing flights when allegations of crimes are reported.

Investigators said anyone who is the victim of a crime on an airplane should contact a crew member immediately and report it to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.