Former Flight Attendant Pleads Guilty to Secretly Filming Minors on Flights

Estes Carter Thompson III admitted to recording underage girls in airplane bathrooms and possessing AI-generated child abuse images, facing up to 30 years in prison.

Estes Carter Thompson III, a former American Airlines flight attendant, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.
Thompson secretly recorded five underage girls, aged 7 to 14, in airplane bathrooms during flights in 2023, using a hidden iPhone concealed under red stickers on toilet seats.
A 14-year-old victim discovered the hidden phone during a flight in September 2023, leading to Thompson's arrest in January 2024 after further investigation.
Authorities found hundreds of AI-generated child abuse images and over 50 photos of a 9-year-old victim on Thompson's iCloud account.
Thompson faces sentencing on June 17, 2025, with prosecutors recommending 15-20 years in prison, while lawsuits against American Airlines from victims' families are ongoing.

U.S. Department of Justice