Sleeping Woman Sexually Assaulted on Flight
Passenger next to woman allegedly reached under her blanket on 15-hour flight.
May 25, 2010— -- A woman who fell asleep during a 15-hour flight from Hong Kong to New York was sexually assaulted by the passenger sitting next to her.
Federal authorities arrested Ramesh Advani, 63, for allegedly reaching under the unnamed woman's blanket and sexually abusing her as she slept on the Continental Airlines flight that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport last Friday.
Two passengers sitting behind the woman and Advani witnessed him, among other things, allegedly touching her around her inner thigh, according to court documents. The passengers, looking between the seats, said that the touching lasted for "a period of time," according to a FBI affidavit.
The two witnesses told the FBI that they had kicked the woman's seat "in an attempt to alert her" to what was going on. At some point after that, she woke up, went to the bathroom and informed the flight crew about what had happened.
It is unclear whether the woman had taken sleeping pills or other medication. The U.S. Attorney's Office would not comment on anything outside the court record.
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Advani of Berkeley Heights, N.J., was released on a $100,000 bond secured by his home. Judge Michael A. Ship, in federal court in Newark, restricted his travel to New Jersey, made Advani surrender his passport and ordered him to have no contact with the victim or the witnesses, according to Rebekah Carmichael, a spokesman for United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
Advani's lawyer, John Arlia, did not return a call seeking comment.
If convicted of the charge of abusive sexual contact, Advani could face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.