A man from Indiana pleaded guilty on Wednesday to abusive sexual contact with a woman who was sleeping on a flight from Indianapolis to Denver in 2017, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Ian Wagner, a 39-year-old from New Haven, was sitting next to an unidentified 18-year-old woman on the Oct. 6, 2017, flight. The woman woke up to Wagner rubbing her inner thigh with his hand, and she promptly moved it away, snapping a photo of Wagner before seeking temporary refuge in the aircraft’s lavatory, according to a Justice Department readout.
When she returned to her seat, Wagner exposed his genitals, adding that Wagner “masturbated while staring at the victim” for five minutes, according to the indictment.
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Geolocation data associated with the image indicated the plane was flying over Hastings, Nebraska, at the time.
The woman filed her complaint two days after the incident occurred. The FBI’s Indianapolis Division Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.
Wagner, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15, faces up to three years in prison for the offense. He is also required to register as a sex offender.
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There has been an uptick in unruly passengers on airlines throughout 2021. The Federal Aviation Administration stated that nearly 4,385 unruly passenger reports have been filed this year as of Tuesday, with more than 3,000 of the incidents stemming from clashes regarding mask rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
