AUSTIN, Texas — A former American Airlines flight attendant was sentenced to 18.5 years in prison for secretly recording young girls in airplane bathrooms, including two Austin minors.
Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, received the sentence on Wednesday, followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick described his actions as “appalling” and said the child victims’ “innocence has been lost.”
Thompson was arrested after a 14-year-old girl discovered his recording setup in a lavatory during a flight from Charlotte to Boston on September 2, 2023. Investigators said Thompson escorted the girl to the first-class lavatory, claiming the main cabin one was occupied. Before she entered, he told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken. The girl noticed red stickers with messages like “inoperative catering equipment” and “seat broken” on the toilet seat lid, concealing Thompson’s iPhone. She took a picture of the setup before leaving…