Tag: abusive sexual contact

A New Jersey man was sentenced Thursday to more than eight months in federal prison after he admitted to sexually assaulting a woman onboard an American Airlines flight to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, officials said.

Bhaveshkumar Dahyabhai Shukla, a 40-year-old citizen of India, pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact in July, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana.

Shukla was flying from Bozeman, Montana, to DFW Airport in January and was seated next to a woman and her daughter on the plane, according to the release.

Shukla initially acted as if he were sleeping, but then began to rub the woman’s leg near a pocket on her hip, federal authorities said. The woman believed Shukla was attempting to pick her pocket, so she and her daughter went to the restroom in an attempt to defuse the situation.

After the woman and her daughter returned to their seats, Shukla continued rubbing the woman’s inner and outer thigh, and the woman told him to stop touching her, according to the release. Shukla also tried to speak with the woman’s daughter.

During some turbulence, the woman turned her back to Shukla, and he began rubbing her lower back and buttocks, officials said.

A witness seated in the row behind the woman confirmed that Shukla was touching the woman for a large portion of the flight time, according to the statement.

Shukla will likely be deported to India after he is released from custody, officials said.