Man accused of assaulting two women on redeye flight to Boston pleads guilty

A California man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two women on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston last spring, according to officials.

On Monday, Jairaj Singh Dhillon, 43, of Modesto, pleaded guilty in federal court to assaulting the women aboard a redeye flight on May 31, 2022, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins’ office. He was charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact in June 2022.

Prosecutors said that during the overnight flight, Dhillon engaged in unwanted sexual contact with two female passengers sitting next to him.

The first victim said Dhillon, who was seated in the aisle seat next to her, touched her thigh and groin area while she was taking care of her baby, who was in a car seat in the window seat next to her, according to the statement.

Officials said the woman called for help and said out loud, “This man just groped me.” 

The second victim, a woman seated in the aisle seat opposite Dhillon, said that Dhillon reached out with both hands and simultaneously grabbed her groin and buttocks when she was standing in the aisle, according to the statement.

The flight crew intervened and relocated Dhillon to another area of the plane for the rest of the flight. Authorities immediately arrested him when the flight arrived at Boston Logan International Airport, officials said.

Dhillon is due to be sentenced on June 14. He faces up to six months in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5,000. 

The FBI’s Boston bureau said it investigates crimes aboard aircraft and regularly responds to landing flights when allegations of crimes are reported.

Investigators said anyone who is a victim of a crime on an airplane should contact a crew member immediately and report it to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.