A man accused of groping two women, including one caring for her baby, on a redeye flight from Los Angeles to Boston Tuesday was arrested when the plane landed, prosecutors said.
Jairaj Singh Dhillon, a 42-year-old from Modesto, California, faces two charges of abusive sexual contact over the alleged groping incidents on the flight, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said Wednesday.
The first woman that Dhillon is accused of touching inappropriately on the flight from Los Angeles International Airport was taking care of her baby in the window seat when Dhillon, sitting in the aisle seat, touched her thigh and groin, federal prosecutors said. She called out, "This man just groped me."
Dhillon also allegedly grabbed the groin and buttocks of a woman who'd been sitting across the aisle when she was standing up.
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Afterward, the flight crew moved Dhillon elsewhere in the plane until it landed at Boston Logan International Airport Tuesday. He was escorted off and taken into custody, prosecutors said.
It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to the charges ahead of a hearing Thursday.
Each charge Dhillon faces carries up to three years in prison, along with a fine up to $250,000.
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Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
