Police arrested a Newton man on Friday for allegedly making repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl on a flight to Boston last August.
Jonathan Lefman, 46, is charged with one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction, a federal charge, according to a press release from the U.S. District Attorney.
On Aug. 30, 2024, charging documents say Lefman was on a JetBlue flight to Boston from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with his wife and four children, when he allegedly touched the buttocks of the 17-year-old girl who was sitting in the seat in front of him.
According to the release, Lefman allegedly stuck his hand through the area between the back and bottom of the seat, where the girl was sitting, and touched her buttocks on several occasions during the flight and while waiting to deplane in Boston.
On at least one occasion where he allegedly touched the girl, she saw him leaning in between the seats in the reflection of the screen on the seat in front of her.
On the last occasion where Lefman allegedly attempted to touch the girl, she took a video of his fingers reaching through the seat on her phone. She also took a video of him as he got off the plane, the release reads.
After the flight, the alleged victim’s family member, who had been seated in a different row, reported Lefman’s alleged actions to a JetBlue supervisor and confronted Lefman, showing the video the girl had taken of his fingers.
The charge of abusive sexual contact in the special aircraft jurisdiction carries a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Lefman was arraigned in federal court in Boston on Friday.
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