Flight Attendant Admits Wrongdoing In Allegedly Elaborate Plan To Spy On Little Girls In Plane Bathrooms

A former American Airlines flight attendant pleaded guilty Thursday to secretly recording video of a 14-year-old girl in an airplane bathroom and possessing recordings of four other girls, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Estes Carter Thompson III of Charlotte, North Carolina, admitted to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor, the DOJ said in a press release.

He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to The Associated Press (AP). Having now pled guilty, the man is expected to receive between 15 and 20 years behind bars based on his plea agreement, Boston.com reported.

Thompson, 37, attached his phone to the underside of the toilet seat lid using red stickers labeled “inoperative catering equipment,” “remove from service” and “seat broken,” according to the DOJ. The 14-year-old girl discovered the phone after noticing the stickers and took a photo of the hidden device before telling her parents, authorities said.

As a result of an #FBI Boston investigation with @MassStatePolice, Estes Carter Thompson III, a former American Airlines flight attendant, has admitted to surreptitiously filming minors in lavatories aboard an aircraft. https://t.co/MJGkZK2gem pic.twitter.com/RZlea4lUej

— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) March 7, 2025

A forensic search of his iCloud account also uncovered recordings of four other minors from previous flights in 2023 who were aged 7, 9, 11, and 14, according to the DOJ. Investigators also discovered hundreds of AI-generated child sexual abuse images in his possession, prosecutors said.

In a lawsuit involving a 9-year-old Texas victim who was allegedly secretly recorded in a plane bathroom, American Airlines initially argued she was at fault, according to court documents. Following public backlash, the airline told USA Today it fired the legal team behind the suit and replaced them with new counsel.

Paul Llewellyn of the Lewis & Llewellyn law firm, which represents the 14-year-old, responded to the guilty plea in a statement obtained by the AP.

“We are pleased to hear that the American Airlines flight attendant who preyed on at least five young girls as they used the airplane bathroom has pled guilty for his depraved crimes,” he said. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: GOP Rep Takes Another Shot At Revitalizing America’s Battered Aviation Industry)

American Airlines recently settled a lawsuit with the family of the 14-year-old, Llewellyn told the outlet. Another lawsuit, filed in the name of the 9-year-old, is scheduled for trial in July.

The Daily Caller reached out to American Airlines for comment but the company did not respond before publication.