An American Airlines flight attendant, Carter Thompson III, was sentenced to 18.5 years in prison for secretly recording a seven-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom. He had confessed to taping his phone to the toilet lid to capture the footage.
Thompson, now 37, entered a guilty plea earlier this year, admitting to documenting five minors over a nine-month span—creating a collection of AI-generated child pornography in the process.
During the sentencing, he expressed regret for his actions, describing them as “selfish, evil, and wrong.”
U.S. District Court Judge Julia Covic criticized Thompson’s behavior as “depraved,” emphasizing that it shattered the innocence of the children involved.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Thompson recorded videos of girls during private moments, and he repeatedly saved and edited these clips for his own sexual gratification.
The prosecutors also stated that Thompson robbed these young girls of their innocence and trust, replacing it with anxiety, sadness, and fear.
Thompson was apprehended in September 2023 while working on a flight to Boston. He had escorted a 14-year-old to the restroom but delayed washing his hands because of an allegedly malfunctioning toilet seat. This raised suspicions.
The girl noticed an almost hidden iPhone tucked under a maintenance sticker that indicated the seat was broken. She took a photo of the device and subsequently showed it to her parents.
Her father confronted Thompson, who then retreated to the bathroom for the remainder of the flight, attempting to delete the incriminating video data.
Upon investigation, authorities found more hidden cameras in his luggage and discovered recordings of four other girls aged between 7 and 14, along with explicit AI-generated content.
Thompson pleaded guilty in March to attempted sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography involving a minor.
He is set to serve his time at FMC Butner in North Carolina, where he will also receive treatment for sex offenders. Post-incarceration, he faces an additional five years of supervised release.
Following the incident, Thompson was fired from American Airlines, but the company is still facing civil lawsuits from some of the victims’ families.
Paul Llewellin, a family representative, condemned Thompson for exploiting his position in such a “calculated and invasive” manner. He urged American Airlines to implement significant reforms to prevent such incidents in the future.
With post wire
